The Time for Heroes
by Profe
Summary: Tweek needs a hero and Craig is ready to be one for him.
1. PROLOGUE

**Sup! Welcome to my second SP Fic. SP (C) Matt n' Trey, this fic (C) me. This time it's a CREEK focus! OTP. 3**_  
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_He's twitching again. I can see him from across the room, tugging at his shirt trying hard to pay attention. He's run out of Harbucks coffee and instead has started biting the tip of his thumb to preoccupy himself. I notice Token start to lean toward him. He whispers something which causes Tweek to jump and shake his head frantically. I wonder what they're talking about. _Craig shook his head, forcing himself to look at the teacher instead. Now wasn't the time to be thinking about Tweek. He always twitched; there was nothing unusual about it. It may have just been because they had become so close that Craig thought it seemed odd just this one time.

Their teacher moved back and forth at the front of the classroom, telling his class that summer vacation isn't just for fun; that they should practice their math and read books too. It's a sure fact that he knows no one is going to take that into consideration. Nobody except Wendy.

Kenny raised an eyebrow as he noticed Craig look back to Tweek. He nudged his friend and when Craig turned to look at him, he smirked. "What's up, Craig? Is something fascinating happening over there?"

Craig gave him one of his famous blank stares. "No."

Kenny had to give him credit. If there was one thing Craig Tucker was excellent at, it was hiding his true emotions. His smirk turned to a soft smile, "One minute in counting. You should be excited. Aren't you, Token, Clyde and Tweek heading down to Token's vacation house in Jamaica? I hear there's lots of hot chicks there. Ah, I'm jealous," he chuckled. "Have some fun for me, too!"

"What _are_ you doing over the break?" Craig asked.

"Sit around and whine about how much summer sucks ass, obviously. There's shit all to do here in South Park in summer. We'll probably end up getting fat from ice cream and going fishing."

"That's what you said last summer."

"And that's what we did last summer, aside from the getting fat part. Although I'm sure Eric gained more chub." Kenny raised his shoulders in a shrugging motion as the final bell rang. He pushed himself up and grabbed his bag. "Now, go on. What are you waiting for?" Kenny smirked again and ran off to join Kyle, who was leaving the classroom to grab Stan and Eric the next room over.

Craig walked over to Tweek and Token. Token threw his bag over his shoulder and stretched his arms up. "I am in dire need of a vacation. All work and no play makes for a very dull man, as they say."

Tweek sunk further into his seat, almost as if he was hoping nobody would see him. As Craig was about to say something, Clyde ran in from the other classroom, yelling excitedly about hot chicks in Jamaica and not being able to wait to leave. "It's too bad we're only staying for two weeks, man. I can't get the full experience in just two weeks."

Token smiled, "Maybe I can convince my parents to stay longer next year."

"For reals? Aw yeah!" Clyde pumped his fist into the air. It took him a moment, but he calmed down and turned his attention to Tweek, "Man, you've been quiet. Somethin' up?"

Just as the remainder of the students exited the room, Tweek spoke up, "N-no, there's nothing-ngh-wrong with me!" he nearly slammed his hands onto his desk without really meaning to.

"Um... are you sure?" Clyde frowned.

Tweek's eyes went wide momentarily and it looked as if it was taking all he had to stay as calm as he could. He nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine. I swear. I-I have to get something from a teacher, so you guys go on ahead, okay?" he pulled the sleeves of his shirt down further and grabbed his bag from the back of his seat.

"You're still coming to the vacation house, right?" Token asked before he left.

Tweek didn't answer at first, but that wasn't really a new thing. Sometimes in conversation, it took him nearly three minutes to answer a question. He shook his head, staring down at the floor, "I can't make it. Not this year."

"Eh, why not?" Clyde whined. "It won't be the same without you."

"Sorry," he flashed a quick smile and then Craig knew. Tweek wasn't usually a big smiles kind of guy. He wasn't obnoxious, never talked about women like Kenny or Clyde and he wasn't rude. Those were part of the reason Craig liked him so much. But when Tweek did smile, Craig would find it brilliant to look at. It was a small, soft smile, but it lit up his whole face. This smile, no matter how hard Tweek tried to cover it up, was fake.

He ran out of the room without another word. Clyde only shrugged, "He'll come next year."

Token frowned, but nodded nonetheless. "Though I do wonder why he can't make it."

Craig took one look at his two friends, said, "I'll catch up later," and bolted it after Tweek. He walked quickly down the hallway Tweek exited through only to find the blond sitting underneath his locker, hugging his knees closely to his chest. He was muttering something to himself that Craig couldn't quite catch, but he looked confused and scared.

"Tweek," he said once he'd stepped up next to him.

Tweek let out a gasp, "C-Craig, what are you doing here?" He jumped up, holding his hands in front of himself defensively. "I thought you went home!"

"What's wrong?" he asked, not bothering to answer his friend's previous question. "Something's off."

"What are you-ngh-saying?" Tweek replied. Most of his stuttering and yelps between words had ended when they'd reached high school, but they occasionally came back when he was freaking out, like now. "Just go have fun with Clyde and Token; forget about me!"

Craig raised an eyebrow. "You're changing the subject."

"Urgh!" Tweek grabbed and tugged at his poorly buttoned shirt. He knew once Craig had set his mind on something, he rarely gave up until he found the answer. That, or if it was too much effort. Tweek often thought Craig would have given up on him long ago; that he was too much effort to keep up with and for a while Tweek thought he would have been fine with that. Talking to people was too much pressure most of the time, anyway. Everyone wanted to know things about you; wanted to talk to you, but they didn't realize that half the time you didn't want to talk. They didn't realize how much effort it took you just to get out of bed. "Craig, go away, please. Go have f-fun with Clyde and Token. You'll have fun; I know you will. Even if you d-don't show it, they know you will too!"

"I have fun most of the time because you're there," Craig confessed. "I like talking to you. That's not a bad thing. It's not too much effort for me because we don't have to talk a lot to understand each other. There's something wrong with you, so why won't you tell me?"

"You don't need to know!" Tweek picked his bag up off the ground. "I'll still be here when you -ngh- get back, so go on." He hesitated a moment before turning away and running down the hall.

Craig let out a sigh. Tweek was a lot of things, but he was especially stubborn when it concerned himself. He felt a vibration from him pocket and pulled out his cell phone. A text from Kenny. He suddenly recalled a conversation between Eric and Kenny that occurred earlier that year. Eric asked Kenny how he managed to get the best of everything being so poor, but all Kenny replied to that was, "Connections, bro. Connections."

_Kenny: hey, have you told him yet?_

Craig felt his eye twitch. Kenny was always pestering him about it and he wasn't sure why. It wasn't like he needed to tell Tweek his feelings; there was no deadline. He sighed again and began typing his reply, a simple: _Fuck you._

_Kenny: ill take that as a no then. you know, dude, someone might swoop in and steal him away from you while youre busy hiding your feelings. apathy can be a real bitch. ;)_

Craig knew Kenny was right. The thought of Tweek dating someone else make him really nervous and he wasn't nervous about a lot of things. He typed back: _I will tell him when I get back home. _

_Kenny: hell tell you when hes ready too. dont pressure him, okay?_

Craig raised an eyebrow. Did Kenny know something that he wasn't telling him? He decided to call him instead. He never really was a fan of texting. Half the time he could barely understand what some people were saying, like Stan. Stan was the worst texter. He could remember the time they were forced to exchange numbers to finish a science project without having to be next to each other. He ended up having to go to Stan's house as Stan used far too many acronyms.

"Hello?" Kenny chuckled on the other end. "You should really get used to texting. Nobody calls each other anymore, you bloke."

"Fuck you. What do you know about Tweek?"

"Whatever do you mean, Craig, dear?" Kenny didn't often troll his close friends, but sometimes, he couldn't resist. Craig was so fun to bug, after all.

"You know what I mean. Did he tell you something?"

Kenny smiled on the other end. "Hey, now, it isn't my business to tell people what he tells me. I just happened to find my old Naruto DVDs and went to his house to watch it with him. There was an episode where Naruto and Sasuke were fighting and it was really emotional and they were holding hands and I said Sasuke reminded me of you and Tweek started to get a bit upset. Then, he told me something. Contrary to popular belief, Craig, I am an easy person to reveal things to and I don't judge. I keep secrets that are meant to be kept until someone decides to tell. I won't break that streak now. Go on your vacation, have fun and Tweek will tell you when he is ready."

Craig couldn't really say anything about that. He didn't want to dig into Tweek's life without him knowing. It didn't feel right. "Alright, fine."

"I expect you'll be keeping your promise too, then? About telling him when you get back?"

"Yeah, yeah," he said. "We'll see."


	2. Two Weeks Later

**Hi, thanks for reading and please review! :)**

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Two Weeks Later

"Dude, I've only just finished unpacking everything! I got all these sick souvenirs! People are gonna be so jealous," Clyde chuckled, practically screaming on the other end of the phone. "Plus, that's not even counting what I got from all the ladies I met, if you know what I mean!"

"I'm rolling my eyes, Clyde. My eyes are rolling," Token replied. "You're on speaker, so don't go into detail. My little cousin is visiting and I don't want her to hear you."

"Relax, relax. Oh, by the way, have you gotten hold of Craig since we got back? I keep texting him but he won't reply. At first I figured it was because he hates texting, but I mean, he usually replies to me within the hour of my message."

"Now that you mention it..." Token picked up his cell phone from his shelf and turned off the speaker. He pressed it to his ear and whispered, "He was acting kind of weird while we were away, don't you think? I asked him if he was okay, but he's Craig, so he didn't give me a direct answer. He just kind of shrugged it off and said he was fine."

"You think it has anything to do with Tweek?" Clyde's voice was softer.

Token sighed, "I can't say. Anyway, for the time being, let's just try and get a hold of the both of them. At least I can put my conscience to rest if I hear they're both fine."

"Yeah... Alright. I'm going to take Rex out for a walk. Maybe I'll pass by him on the way."

"Okay, I'll text you later."

"Mhm." And with that, Clyde closed his phone and shoved it in his pocket. He looked around momentarily, admiring the trinkets he'd acquired from yet another trip to Jamaica. He'd always loved going with his best bros. They made such good memories there and always made sure to take hundreds of pictures. Clyde liked to document everything. He even had two entire photo albums dedicated just to Jamaica.

"Let's go, Rex," he put on his dog's leash and led him down the stairs to the front door. "I'm taking Rex out, dad. I'll be back in a bit."

"Okay. Take care," his father replied, sounding solemn. Every week he would visit Clyde's mother's grave and return home quiet. He didn't often get so upset, but sometimes he would go through old photo books and remember the old times, when she was still alive. Clyde remembered her very well, but he wouldn't change that. After the tragedy, Craig, token and Tweek came over to comfort him and he confessed to them: "Even though she's dead, I'd still rather have these memories. Even though it hurts, it's better than not remembering her at all."

He cleared his throat and opened the door, closing it quietly behind him when he exited. He walked Rex down the sidewalk, plugging in his headphones to hum along to numerous bands he liked.

After about fifteen minutes had passed, he turned around and decided to start heading back when he saw Craig in the distance. The tall, onyx haired boy was exiting a book shop with a small bag. He didn't look before he crossed the street and Clyde was almost tempted to yell to him, but there were no cars so he simply jogged over to meet him.

"Hey, Craig, where have you been?"

"Huh?" he gave Clyde a weird look.

"I said where have you been? I've been texting you and you haven't been replying. Token and I were worried. What's up? Are you doing okay?"

"Oh, yeah."

Clyde raised an eyebrow, "Are you... sure?"

Craig gave a small nod that was just barely noticeable, but then he stopped short. "Clyde..."

"Yeah?" he replied, almost eagerly. Rarely if ever did Craig sounds like he wanted something. If he was able to do it, Clyde wanted to help his friend any way he could.

"Tweek."

"Eh? What about him? Is he okay? Nothing happened to him, did it?" he sounded worried now. Clyde thought of Tweek as a younger brother. He liked to care for the boy and act strong, to prove that Tweek could lean on him if he wanted to. He knew that the kid had a lot of problems, but he also knew that he could help him from time to time. It was worth it to see him smile.

Craig shook his head, "That's the thing. He's disappeared. I can't find him."

"How long have you been searching?"

"Since we got back."

"He isn't at Harbucks or his home? Did you try his cell?"

Craig just nodded. "There's no one home."

"Are you sure?" Clyde frowned. "Maybe his family went on vacation somewhere together? Anyway, I'm sure it's nothing bad. He's not usually known for being where you think he is, right? Remember all those times at school? He missed a lot of classes and he was fine. I'm sure he's okay," he didn't know whether he was trying to convince himself or Craig of this.

Craig felt a buzz from his pocket. Clyde eyed him, "So you do have it on you?"

"Didn't feel like replying. Too much effort," he shrugged, checking the message as Clyde sighed dramatically. Suddenly, his eyes widened, "It's from Tweek."

"Ah, what did I tell you!" Clyde nudged him, grinning. "What's it say?"

Craig hesitated a moment before showing Clyde the screen. All that was written was: _sorry._

"Hah?" Clyde rubbed his head, "Sorry for not replying? What's he on about? I think you deserve more than one word... But at least he's okay, right?"

Craig wasn't so sure. It wasn't like Tweek to ignore him for long periods of time and he rarely wrote one word responses. He usually used a lot of exclamation points as well and Craig didn't see any of that in this text. It was almost as if it was written by another person.

.oo.

Kenny sighed, rubbing his head. "Damn it, when Tweek said he wanted me to take care of his cell phone, this is not what I had in mind." He anxiously awaited the response from Craig, hoping it would be something he could give an easy reply to. "Why can't people just come clean to each other? I wouldn't be in such a dilemma if they did."

_Craig: Where are you right now?_

"Shit," Kenny hissed to himself. "How am I gonna get out of this one?" He thought momentarily, brainstorming the numerous things Tweek would actually say. But he couldn't write any of those because Tweek was not here. He was not in a place to go out and meet Craig wherever he wanted. He quickly wrote back: _home. im not feeling well. did you come by?_

"That should be okay, right?" Kenny rubbed his head. "Closed it up nice."

_Craig: I am coming over right now. I will see you in five._

"Aw, tits," he snapped, jumping off his couch and looking around, as if that would actually help him somehow. "What the fuck am I gonna do now? ... I guess there's no choice! I'll have to... be Tweek!" he quickly pulled off his orange shirt and ran out the door. Kenny only lived about a three minute run from Tweek's house, so he figured he still had two minutes to prepare something.

When he reached the Tweak residence, he ran to the back and climbed up the tall tree he used to get into Tweek's room when the kid needed some emergency company. He hopped through the open window and ran down the stairs, unlocking the door. By this time he was starting to sweat, "All the more authentic," he mumbled to himself, noticing Craig and Clyde walking down the driveway. "Shit, shit, shit!" Kenny ran back up the stairs as fast as he could and jumped into Tweek's bed, pulling the covers far over his head so just a small bit of his blonde hair was sticking out.

He heard the door open downstairs and felt his heart race. Clyde was easy to deceive, but Craig was not, so if he had any hope of having this plan work, he would have to keep his mouth shut.

He grabbed Tweek's cell phone from his pocket and sent a quick text: _i lost my voice._

Seconds later, Craig pushed the door open and Kenny froze in his place. "Tweek? You lost your voice?" he said, coming closer to the bed. Clyde trailed after him.

"Dude, why didn't you call us? We could have had a sick day with movies and ice cream marathon!" Clyde smiled. "Seriously, you can tell us these things. It's not like we'll be upset with you for getting sick. It's probably just one of those colds people get when the seasons change."

Craig sat at the edge of the bed. "Need anything?"

Kenny shook his head from underneath the blankets.

"Oh, I hope you don't mind, I left Rex downstairs. He's tied to the post, but he might shit in your house... You know what, on second thought I'd better get him home, but remember what I said! Call us anytime. You're our friend." He gave the bed a pat before heading out.

Craig waved to him and turned his attention back to the pile of blankets Kenny was hiding under. He was beginning to sweat more underneath the thickness of the blankets combined with the summer heat. If it were anyone else, Kenny thought, he would never go this far, but Tweek was suffering a great ordeal and Kenny couldn't watch him go through it all alone.

"Tweek, I need to tell you something," Craig began and Kenny's heart dropped.

_No,_ he thought, _not now, Craig! Any time but now!_

He didn't speak for a few moments and Kenny thought he was in the clear until the dark haired teen cleared his throat. "I'm kind of into you."

_Oh,_ Kenny breathed, _fuck. What they hell do I do now?!_

"Tweek?" Craig said. After Kenny didn't reply, he said it again, sounding a bit more impatient. "Tweek?"

Kenny held the blankets tightly, ignoring how clammy he was making them with his sweat. He couldn't let Craig see him now. How would he explain himself? But then again, if he wasn't seen, what would he tell Tweek? He felt Craig lean forward and suddenly got a sickly feeling. Craig grabbed the blankets, "Look at me." He started pulling them off, but Kenny tugged them tighter.

"Hey," Craig said. "Quit it."

Kenny pulled them so tight that Craig fell over on top of him and he let out a manly squeak. _Damn it, I've really done it now!_ he thought to himself. _Not to mention how fucking awkward this is..._

"Jesus," Craig mumbled, pushing himself up so that he was hovering right above Kenny. One move from the blonde and Craig would come towering down again. He certainly didn't want that. It looked like the jig was up. Craig clutched the blankets and pulled them up in one swift movement. He nearly choked when he saw the person underneath him was not Tweek.

"What the fuck."

"Um... surprise!" Kenny laughed nervously.


	3. The Calm Before the Storm

**Thanks to the people that have reviewed. c: **

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"Kenny, what the hell?" Craig was sitting at the edge of the bed again, running his hands through his hair. His pale cheeks had turned slightly red and when Kenny noticed this, he frowned. He felt even worse about pretending to be Tweek now.

Craig was honestly about to tell the person he loved what he was truly feeling and that person wasn't here. "Sorry, man. If it makes you feel better, you weren't supposed to find out it was me."

"The texts?"

"...Me as well."

"Fuck," Craig rubbed his eyes, letting out a sigh. "What are you doing here?"

"Hey, don't get me wrong, I'm grateful you were gonna take my advice. You should, but you just didn't pick the right time and that's not your fault either. Tweek isn't here and he hasn't been for two weeks. He's not in South Park and frankly, I don't know if it's my place to tell you where he is."

"Is he in trouble?" Craig rarely showed emotion, but when it concerned Tweek, sometimes he couldn't help it. It was like he turned into this whole other person. When he was with the jittery blonde, he felt a lot more, smiled a lot more and felt generally happier.

"You might say that, but it isn't something you or I can do anything about. He'll be back soon enough and you'll feel like it was a really short while! He's safe, so shouldn't you feel okay about that?" Kenny knew he wouldn't. He wasn't that kind of person. He desperately wanted to tell Craig, but he remembered his and Tweek's conversation before he left. He remembered it like it had just occurred.

_"So you're leaving tomorrow?" _Kenny had asked. Tweek only nodded. He looked on the verge of tears. Kenny sighed and looked down, _"Pull up your sleeves." _At first Tweek only jumped and shook his head, but when Kenny smiled softly, he complied. Kenny pulled out an orange marker from his bag and over Tweek's bandaged wrists, he wrote: _Be brave. You'll be okay._

Tweek had cried that day and the only words he could make out from the boy were: "_Please don't tell Craig!"_

That was the last he saw of the other blonde for two whole weeks. He missed their anime marathons, their late night conversations and their spontaneous midnight walks. He missed Tweek, but he was sure Craig missed him more. Hell, Craig didn't even know where he was and _he _was the one in love, not Kenny.

But Tweek didn't know that. He couldn't. Craig didn't make it obvious.

"I know you miss him," Kenny said. "I do, too, but I don't know if he's even allowed visitors in that sort of place." He didn't mean to say it like that, but it had slipped out. When he turned to look at Craig, the pale teen's eyes darkened.

"What kind of place?" he simply said.

Kenny pushed the remainder of the blankets off his body and stood up. "I made a promise not to tell. I'm sorry," he began walking toward the door when Craig grabbed his arm and pulled him back so forcefully that Kenny tripped on the carpet and landed face first on the bed. "Jesus Christ," he mumbled, pushing himself up. "You didn't have to do that. A simple call would have sufficed!" he looked to his friend and noticed that Craig looked less than impressed. "Craig...?" he looked to his arm, which was still being grasped tightly.

"Please," Craig's voice was dangerously quiet and it brought a shiver down Kenny's spine. "Tell me where he is."

Kenny sighed, knowing he wasn't going to be able to leave until he did. "There's one condition: if you're going to visit him, allow me to accompany you. At least the first time."

"Fine."

"He's at an..." he trailed off. He felt horrible for telling Tweek's secret, but Craig was going to be an annoying asshole if he didn't and eventually he would find out anyway. Kenny thought it was better for it to be sooner than later. "He's at an institution in Denver. A mental institution."

There it was. Craig felt like his heart has stopped beating, like it was physically impossible for him to breathe. He tried so hard to keep a cool composure, but when he opened his mouth, nothing came out but a soft squeak. Those few words were all it took for him to feel like he'd shattered into a million pieces.

Kenny could tell he was struggling to grasp what he'd learned, but he figured it would happen this way. He slowly leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Craig. "It's okay to be upset. When he first told me, I didn't understand it either. I was confused, like you probably are and I was scared for him, like you probably are too. I wondered what they were going to do to him there and why he needed to go in the first place, but it all made itself clear. He hasn't been eating, you know. He hasn't been eating and he's been taking drugs and hurting himself. I know this isn't easy for you to hear. It wasn't easy for me to hear either, but since you know where he is, I think you have the right to know why."

Craig was silent, but he'd brought his shaking arms up and held on tightly to his friend. Kenny had always been there for him through the hardest moments of his life. He was there when his parents split up, he was there when Ruby went missing, he was there when Stripe died and he was here now, comforting him when he needed it the most.

It occurred to Kenny then that he still wasn't wearing a shirt. He'd planned to grab one of Tweek's to wear. Even if it was a bit small for him, at least it was a shirt. He pulled back, memories of the past suddenly filling his head. "Sorry. I didn't mean to."

Craig's face was glum, but he shook his head, "I needed it. Back then, too."

"You don't have to say that... I know I was just easy," Kenny gave a little chuckle.

"Untrue," Craig replied still sounding solemn. He recalled last year, when he was first dealing with his feelings for Tweek. He didn't tell anyone because he wasn't even sure what they were. He'd been sitting outside the school alone when Kenny sat next to him laughing about something Kyle said to Eric. Craig waited for him to sit down and stop talking before he asked, "_Kenny. Would you find it weird if I said I liked a guy?"_ Kenny just sort of stared at him for a moment before shaking his head and replying, "_Of course not. I'm in the same boat as you... Like whoever you want to, man. I won't ever think less of you." _Craig then proceeded to ask Kenny who it was he liked, but Kenny just smiled that secretive smile of his and shook his head again and nearly ten minutes later they found themselves kissing in the boys' bathroom. Craig knew they both needed to feel like it was possible for them to keep their hope, that maybe one day they could both muster up the courage to tell the people they truly loved how they truly felt.

Craig remembered that day perfectly. They could very well have just stopped at kissing, but it was like they had a silent agreement that once they started they wouldn't stop until they'd gone all the way. It made him think that liking Tweek wasn't bad at all. That time he'd spent with Kenny in the neglected boys bathroom wasn't one of his most brilliant choices, but he decided he wouldn't take it back.

"I will visit him," Craig finally spoke up again. "I will."

"I'll come. Just this once, let's go together, okay?" Kenny whispered and Craig nodded. It was now or never. Craig didn't know if he could muster up the strength to visit him if not that day. Worries of what he was going through would consume him until he could barely think straight enough to get dressed.

"Are you gonna tell Clyde and Token?" Kenny asked.

"Not yet," Craig replied. "Not yet... I just need to see him."

"Fair enough," Kenny said. "I assume you'll want to leave now?"

"You still have your brother's car?"

"Yeah. I basically own it now. I doubt he's coming home ever again," Kenny sighed. "Let's head to my house. I'll be able to grab a shirt that way and the car is parked out front."

"I don't know if I can, man..." Craig confessed. "What will I see?"

Kenny furrowed his brows and grabbed Craig's hand, pulling him up. "Don't be a wuss! Although he begged me not to tell you, a part of me thinks he might be there hoping you'll show up. I told him to be strong, that he would be okay, but do you think he'll just believe that? I don't. Tweek needs you more than he needs me. We may get along well and I may be the kind of person you like to tell things to, but in no way can I compare to someone who is truly in love. How you feel about him shows in the things you do for him. Maybe no one else realizes it, but I can see it. You need to make him see it too." He gave Craig's hands a squeeze before letting go and walking out, heading downstairs.

Craig smiled, but it was one of his smiles that you'd need a magnifying glass to see. He followed Kenny down the stairs and out the front door all the way to his house where the old, dirty pickup truck was parked. Kenny hadn't bothered to clean it since he rarely used it. You could get everywhere you really needed to in South Park by just walking anyway. "Wait here," Kenny said, jogging inside and grabbing a shirt and his keys. When he came outside Craig was next to the truck, crossing his arms. He looked nervous and Kenny didn't know what to make of that. He rarely scared easy, but he guessed since it was Tweek, everything was different.

He unlocked the truck and they hopped inside. Kenny gave Craig one last look before starting the car. "Are you sure you're ready; that you really want to do this?"

"Yeah," he replied quietly. "I am."


	4. Denver

The ride to Denver was a long one, but the time seemed to pass all too quickly for Craig. He was nervous upon finding out that the person he loved was locked up inside some horrible institution, but now that he was leaving his town to see that very person, he was even more nervous. He almost wanted to scold Tweek for not telling him that he was suffering, but he decided against it. That was the last thing the boy needed at this moment.

"Hey, you doing okay?" Kenny asked from the driver's seat, not taking his eyes off the road. "You haven't said a single word since we left."

"Fine," Craig replied half-heartedly. "We there yet?"

Kenny nodded, "Two minutes."

They drove down and old street and turned left into opened, moss covered gates with a sign hanging over them that read: Denver Institution for Mental Health. Craig scoffed as he read it, crossing his arms. He never thought Tweek had such a bad problem that he needed to go to a place like this. Moreover, why was it so far away? He was sure there were closer ones.

Kenny parked in the bare lot and turned off the engine, pulling the keys out. "And here we are. Now I know I asked you this before we left, but are you sure you want to do this? I don't have a problem if you want to turn back. Even thought we drove down here, that doesn't mean you're forced to go inside if you don't want to. Just take a minute to think it over."

"I'm going," Craig said. He was determined. It didn't matter if Kenny thought he shouldn't go in just yet. He knew that he wanted to see Tweek, he just wasn't sure he wanted to see what state he would be in.

He pushed open the door and jumped out, slamming it shut. He glanced at the tall building ahead; he already hated it. It was cold and ugly and definitely looked far too old. Was it safe inside? Was Tweek safe inside? He shoved his hands in his pockets and charged ahead. Kenny jogged up next to him after he'd locked the truck. "Let me go in first, okay? I need to break it to him that I've told you. I just hope he's not too mad."

Craig gave a quiet grunt, but said nothing. Kenny assumed this meant _okay._

They walked up to the lady at the front desk. She was a short, plump woman with salt and peppered hair tied up in a small bun. Her face was relaxed and calm and it made Kenny feel less uneasy. He tapped the desk with his knuckles and flashed her one of his charming smiles. "Good afternoon, ma'am."

She greeted him with a warm smile, "Afternoon. How may I help you?"

"We're here to see a Tweek Tweak, please." Kenny looked to Craig who was only standing about a meter away from him, staring off at the ceiling. He looked uncomfortable, but as soon as he heard Kenny mention Tweek's name, he walked up next to him and gave the woman a once over. She was flipping through a binder and when she stopped she gave a small frown, "Well he hasn't specified whether or not he'd like visitors, so that should be fine... however, you are not to be in there for too long."

"Why?" Craig finally spoke up.

"Well, he's not in very good shape," she replied and with that, gave them the room number and directions. "Just head up the stairs to the second floor and his door is right down the hall."

"Thanks," Kenny smiled again and grabbed Craig's hand, dragging him toward the stairs. Once they were walking up, he quickly let go. "Don't let what she said get you down. He's probably okay..."

Craig only sighed and skipped up the stairs right to Tweek's door. He looked at Kenny, who gave him a thumbs up, "It's okay! I'll go in, explain everything and then come right out to get you. Just relax. Everything will be fine." He turned around and gently pushed the door open. From the brief moments the door was open, Craig could only make out machines. He didn't like the look of it.

Kenny walked up to the single bed in total shock. Was this what Tweek wanted? It couldn't have been. Nobody would want this out of their own free will, he thought.

There, lying on the bed, was Tweek, but that wasn't what shocked Kenny. It was that strapped to the pale teenager were different chords and an IV pumping in a clear liquid Kenny didn't recognize. "Tweek?" he said quietly, walking closer.

Tweek's eyes were just half opened and the contrast of the dark bags under his eyes and the whiteness of his skin was amazing. He looked absolutely out of it and Kenny didn't even think Tweek knew he was here. "Tweek, can you hear me?"

He mumbled something softly, but Kenny couldn't make it out. His voice was too tired, slurred and quiet to understand. Kenny didn't want Craig to see him like this. He didn't think he should. Maybe this was why Tweek told Kenny not to tell. Maybe he knew that he would end up like this.

His arms were strapped down as if he'd been trying to escape or pulling at the IV. Kenny touched his hand for a moment to see if he would react, but he did not. He simply stared up ahead through half opened eyes like a zombie.

Kenny backed up and turned to open the door. He peeked outside and Craig said, "That was fast."

Kenny shook his head, "I didn't tell him anything. It wouldn't matter if I did... He wouldn't hear me."

"He sleeping?"

"No... I don't think you need to see him like this, Craig," Kenny said, but as soon as he did, Craig pushed the door open as far as it could go and stepped inside. There was shock in his expression. The person he cared so much about strapped down to a hospital bed with an IV and other numerous chords. He didn't look like his Tweek. His Tweek was always up and about with vibrant eyes that looked as if they could see into your very soul. This boy's eyes were a dull green; a green that looked like it had the life sucked out of it.

Craig's expression turned into a deep frown and he walked close to the person lying in the bed. "Tweek..." he whispered, placing his hand on the blonde's cheek. "Tweek, why?"

Another soft, unrecognizable mumble and Craig felt his stomach drop. He didn't feel like he was touching Tweek. He felt like he was touching a lifeless body. "The fuck is this... What did they do to him?" he clenched his fists tightly. So tightly that his knuckles turned ghostly white. In one quick motion he threw his fist at the wall, punching a dent through.

"Craig, calm down!" Kenny grabbed his arm and pulled him away from the wall. "You can't do this. Not now. Not here. Stay calm." He stared into Craig's stubborn eyes and furrowed his brows. "Calm. Down."

Craig forced on a scowl, but unclenched his fists. He looked past Kenny at Tweek and felt his stomach drop once more. It wasn't fair. "Fuck," he hissed, stomping his foot. He knew he probably looked like some spoiled little kid, but he couldn't help it. This was the person he loved. He moved past Kenny and bent down next to the bed. He knew Tweek couldn't hear him, but he spoke despite that. "I'm getting you out of here. I'm going to save you."

Kenny sighed softly, "You can't do that, Craig."

"His parents put him here? It wasn't his will, right?"

"On the contrary. His parents may have put him here, but... he told me before he left that maybe he really did need this. You're blinded by love. Visit him once more when he's sober and maybe he'll tell you how he really feels. Then, you can decide what to do from there. I won't stop you after that if you just listen to me. Please."

Craig crossed his hands, "Fine." He may have agreed, but Kenny could tell from his voice that he was less than thrilled. "Let me finish here..."

Kenny frowned, but nodded nonetheless. "I'll be outside."

As soon as he left, Craig sat down on a spare chair next to Tweek's bed. He glanced at the boy and placed a hand on his head, brushing his bangs away from his forehead. He wondered if he understood what was happening, but just couldn't speak because of all the drugs in his system. Craig let out a bitter laugh, "How ironic. To get you off of drugs, they give you more." He bent over and kissed Tweek's forehead. It was something he'd wanted to do since he first started developing feelings for him. The boy was always so jittery and scared and whenever Craig himself had been like that as a young boy, his mother would always kiss his forehead and tell him there was nothing to worry about, that she would be right there.

He pulled back and whispered, "It's okay, Tweek. I'm right here. I've always been... right here."

.oo.

After they'd returned to South Park, Kenny dropped Craig off at his home and drove off. Craig had told him he wanted to be alone, to think over everything he'd just seen before him. Kenny thought that was a reasonable request, so he abided. "Don't do anything stupid," he'd said right before he left, but Craig just replies with a shrug.

"Why does he have to make me worry like that?" Kenny clenched his teeth, kicking a small rock in front of him as he walked down the sidewalk. He walked in silence until he heard the familiar _"I'm too sexy for my shirt, too sexy for my shirt, so sexy it hurts!"_ of his ringtone. He couldn't help but chuckle when he remembered who he'd assigned that song to.

"Eric, how's it going?" he snorted.

"What? What's so funny? Do you still have that stupid song assigned to me? Didn't I tell you to change it, you poor piece of crap?" he heard the aggravated sigh from his friend on the other end.

"But it's so ironic because you're so unsexy," Kenny said. "I'm keeping it. What's up?"

Kenny could tell Eric was rolling his eyes from the brief pause he took, then he got back to the task at hand. "Oh, shit, I almost forgot why I called. It's Kyle and Stan."

"...Um?" Kenny raised an eyebrow, unsure of where this was going.

Eric groaned, "Those fags asked me to tell you that they're having a sleepover. They wanna know if you're in."

"You're not going?" Kenny smirked. He knew exactly why. Ever since the _incident_, Eric refused to sleep in the same room as one Stanley Marsh. "Are you still upset that you sleep smooched Stan?"

"Shut the fuck up, you piece of shit! Don't say that out loud!" Eric hissed. "I was asleep! I didn't know what I was doing! Anyway, are you going or not!?"

"Nah," Kenny looked down. "Sometimes I think I just ruin the mood when it's us three. Like, they're the super best friends, you know? Whenever I'm with just them, I feel like... a third wheel," he gave a sad sort of chuckle. "Ah well."

"Don't be a pussy. They probably don't think of you like that. But you're all fags, so what would I know," Eric mumbled. "Bye."

Sometimes, in his own twisted way, Eric really did try to comfort Kenny and he really did appreciate it. More than Eric knew. He placed his phone back in his pocket and stretched his arms behind his head. There was a million things to do in South Park in winter, but when summer came around, the whole place was at a loss.

He noticed a familiar redhead in the distance and called out, "Hey!"

Kyle didn't seem to hear him as he was sifting through just bought groceries with his headphones in. Kenny often wondered what kind of music Kyle listened to. Eric constantly complained that it was the worst music he'd ever heard and how of course it would be the type a "Jew Rat" would listen to.

Kenny ran up behind him and slapped his butt, earning a gasp from the redhead, who was lucky enough not to drop his groceries. "Kenny?!" Kyle pulled out his headphones. "Jesus Christ!"

Kenny grinned, "You lose your phone again?"

"How did you know?" Kyle hugged the grocery bags tighter.

"You got Eric to call me instead of calling yourself," Kenny said. "It's natural I'd figure out you lost your phone. Jeez, and I always thought you were supposed to be the responsible one!"

Kyle's cheeks puffed up in annoyance, like they usually did when he was mad. "Shut up, you. Help me carry these? I'm gonna lose one."

Kenny grabbed a bag, "So, how's Stan doing? I haven't seen him since the summer started."

"He's good. You coming tonight?"

"Nah, I'm not really in the mood, I guess... How's Eric?"

"You haven't seen him around?"

"Not really. Maybe once or twice. I've kind of missed you guys. I guess I've been spending a lot of time with my sister lately. You know, she's growing older and I'm trying to make sure she stays out of trouble... Every time she tells me she's going out, I feel like a dad when I ask her all these questions," he chuckled. "Where are you going? Who's going with you? How are you getting there?"

Kyle smiled, "I'm the same with Ike. It's weird to watch them grow up."

"It really is," Kenny said. "Anyway, we're at your house. Do you want me to walk in with you?"

"No, that's okay. I can take it from here," he took the other bag. "You sure you're not coming?"

"Yeah. I think I'll go hang with Eric. I just have to find him first," Kenny smiled. "We'll hang out tonight, so you and Stan have fun. I'm sure between the two of us, Eric and I'll figure something out," he wiggled his eyebrows as if that was supposed to mean something.

Kyle gave an awkward laugh, "Sure. If you do decide you wanna come over, though, the door's open! I'll see you around," he turned and headed into his house.

Kenny opened his phone and texted Eric. _hey, you interested in doing something tonight?_

Moments later, he received a reply.

_Eric: ehhhhhh why da hell not. come pver wen you wanna._

Kenny chuckled. Always with the spelling mistakes. He replied once more.

_okay, man, im on my way._


	5. The things nobody wants

Two days had passed and Craig had been cooped up in his room for the majority of time. Kenny didn't know what to make of it. He knew he would be upset over finding out what had happened to Tweek, but he really didn't think it would take such a toll on him. Craig had always been strong, if not slightly apathetic and to have to hear from Clyde that he'd been a recluse ever since Denver was a shock.

"You have any clue why?" Clyde asked him as they sat together on a bench beside Stark's Pond.

"Hm," Kenny wanted to tell Clyde, but he figured he'd better hear it from Tweek. After all, he'd already broken his promise by telling Craig. He wasn't about to do it yet again. "I can't say I have."

"Ah," Clyde took a sip from his iced coffee and sighed. "It's weird seeing him like this. I mean, I've known him since I can practically remember. Nothing has ever made him hide in his room, you know?"

"Yeah..." Kenny nodded, "I know what you mean. You know what, Clyde? I just remembered I had somewhere to go. I'll talk to you later, alright?" he picked his sweater up from beside him and ran off.

"Oh, yeah... sure?" Clyde waved uncertainly.

Kenny ran down the sidewalk until he arrived at his home. He was nearly sweating from the rare heat, so he chucked his sweater inside before taking a seat in his car. He was going to visit Tweek again. Maybe he was doped up that day, but what if he really did know what was going on, he just couldn't show it? If that had been the case, Kenny knew he was probably waiting. Waiting for someone to come back for him.

He drove quickly, but not quick enough to attract the attention of the police. It took him a while, but he finally arrived in that same exact hospital that Tweek was a prisoner to. He parked his truck. It was strangely busy that day. He had trouble finding a spot.

He locked the doors and jogged inside the big front doors. One was held open by a small chain attached to the back wall to let in the occasional cool breeze.

Kenny walked right up to that familiar woman and slapped on a smile, "Hey. Here to see Tweek Tweak again, if you don't mind."

"No, go on ahead," she politely returned the smile, motioning to the stairs.

"Thanks," Kenny walked up slowly, worrying whether or not Tweek would be able to talk this time. Once he'd reached the door, he knocked. When no answer came, he slowly pushed open the door and peered inside, "Tweek?"

And there he was, grasping the blankets on his bed so tightly that his knuckles were white. His face was pale with fear and nausea. He anxiously turned to the door when it opened, relaxing only 0.0001% when he noticed it was Kenny.

"You're up," Kenny noticed happily.

"Mm..." Tweek looked away, at the window. There was still an IV in him and Kenny could tell he'd tried ripping it off. Tweek had always hated needles, that was nothing new, but Kenny imagined he hadn't made it easy for the nurses. That was probably why he was in such a state when they'd first visited him.

Kenny shut the door behind him and walked up to the bed, sitting down at the end, "You okay?"

"Craig," Tweek said loudly. Before he continued, he rubbed his eyes and his voice softened when he next spoke, "was here... H-he was here, wasn't he?"

Kenny sighed, "Yeah. I'm sorry, but he found out you weren't where you were supposed to be and he became worried. I didn't want to see him like that, so I told him. I'm sorry, man."

"Oh, God," Tweek pressed his hands to his head. "He saw me like this! He saw me worse than like this-ngh-! I couldn't speak... I was barely conscious! But I heard it... I heard his v-voice. He probably thinks that I'm some insane freak! He won't w-want to talk to me anymore! He's probably stabbing a picture of me as we speak!"

Kenny placed a hand on his shoulder, "No. He isn't. He doesn't think you're crazy, Tweek. Craig cares about you a lot, you know. You're his best friend." He wasn't going to say more than that. That was all up to Craig. "When he came to visit you, don't you remember what he said?"

Tweek shook his head.

"I know it was meaningful because when he came out of the room, he looked pained. He doesn't want to see you in here any more than you want to be in here. I can promise you that."

"No, you don't -nnh- get it! It's because he saw me like this that I can't face him again! I'm scared," he clutched the blankets even tighter. "I'm scared, Kenny..." His eyes were wide, but still that pale green color that had taken the place of his much livelier ones. "I don't want to hear what he's -ngh- going to say to me..."

"Tell me something," Kenny spoke softly. "Why are you scared?"

"Because... I don't want him to look at me with pity. If he did, I d-don't know if I'd be able to handle it," he let go of the blanket and felt at his cheek, where he wiped away a tear that he didn't even realize had fallen. "Damn it!"

"You and I both know Craig's not that kind of person. He may look at you with a number of expressions, but pity will never be one of them."

Tweek was still shaking and it made Kenny realize just how scared of this he was. His greatest fear was that Craig would push him away, stare down at him or feel pity for him. Kenny knew Craig wasn't that sort of person and he was sure Tweek knew, too, so why couldn't his fear be put to rest? Why did he have to feel so worried that it made him sick?

"Tweek, how do you feel about Craig?" It wasn't a question he'd intended to ask, but in light of his recent thoughts, he figured it couldn't hurt.

At first, Tweek seemed taken aback. His shoulders stiffened and he pulled the blankets up over him. Kenny asked, "Is it that you're scared of him?"

Tweek shook his head, "No, I'm not scared of him. I think he's actually -nnh- pretty harmless."

"Then, are you angry at him for visiting?"

Once again, he shook his head.

"So, is it that you... love him?" Kenny thought this was a long shot, but he was eagerly awaiting an answer. Even if Tweek didn't answer at all, that would be fine. He was diving deep into his personal feelings, after all.

Tweek let out an anxious sigh, "I don't know what it is. I've n-never been in love before, so how can I tell if I do? I mean, every time we're together, I forget about how sad I am or how I can't deal with life a-and when he smiles at me, my legs feel weak." His eyes began to water as he continued to speak. "I know it's impossible to love someone like me, so if there is a chance what I am feeling is love, then I'll bury it. I don't want him to know how much my chest hurts whenever I know I won't be able to see him for long!" He moved his hand down his arm, slowly touching the IV needle. He didn't know what to do. He was scared and confused, but no matter how much he thought about it, he was at a complete loss.

Kenny thought that was love. It had to be. But then again, with Tweek you could never be too sure. If only Craig was here now, listening to everything the shaking blonde was saying. Only he would know the appropriate reaction.

So, instead, Kenny put on a smile. It was small and soft- one of those smiles that tell you that you're going to be okay. "Never bury those feelings, Tweek. When you really, truly love someone, no matter how much it hurts at times, you have to hold onto it. That's how you can truly feel when you're alive. When your heart is beating so fast at the thought of their name, when you blush as they smile at you, when your hands touch, even for a moment or even if you just see them from afar. All those things you feel, the pain, the joy, that fluttering of wings in your stomach, they all make us human. So, don't bury them. You never know, Craig could very well feel the same."

Tweek was rubbing at his eyes again, "Kenny... you're a really good friend."

He smiled again, "Yeah, tell that to my friends... Hey, you know we're all here for you, right? Me, Clyde, Token and Craig. Everyone. I think, even though it scares you, you should tell them soon, where you really are. Maybe if they visit you, you'll feel better."

"Maybe," Tweek said.

"Well, ultimately, it's all up to you. Just choose what you think is right. What you think you can deal with," Kenny said.

Tweek nodded, "Y-yeah."

Kenny decided it would be best for everyone if he changed the subject. "So, how's the food here? Are you eating a lot? Or is it gross?"

"We have regular eating times, but I never finish my food... It's hard to eat," Tweek said solemnly and Kenny figured he'd better change the subject again.

"Do you still have what I wrote on your bandages?"

"They changed them," Tweek frowned, "W-when I -ngh- came here."

"Well then I'll just have to write you a new one!" Kenny grinned, digging through his bag for a marker. He pulled a darker one out and motioned for Tweek to bring his arm closer. When he did, Kenny quickly wrote, "Be brave. You're not alone," and closed the marker, chucking it back into his bag.

And for the first time in a while, Tweek finally smiled.


	6. I messed up

Craig Tucker was not going to cry. He was not going to get angry again and punch a wall, wasn't going to try and clear his mind and he most certainly wasn't going to tell anyone else what was going on so when Clyde came to his house to ask him what was up, he lied. He said, "Nothing. I'm busy," and shut the door. He could imagine Clyde frowning on the other end, hesitating whether to knock again, but deciding to return home. He knew not to bother Craig in times like these and Craig was thankful for that.

He had thought of visiting Tweek numerous times, but even though he'd never admit it, he was scared. He didn't want to see him like that again. It wasn't a memory he needed.

But it had been two days. Tweek might be waiting for him. If he was even consciously there, that is. He shook his head and sighed, walking down the stairs to make himself a sandwich. When he entered the kitchen he heard the front door open. "Mom?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow. She wasn't supposed to be home from work until later and he knew Ruby was hanging out with Kyle's little brother.

"It's me," he heard Kenny's voice from the front. He sounded tired.

Craig dropped the loaf of bread back onto the counter and headed toward the door, "Kenny, what did I tell you about picking my lo- ...Shit. What happened?"

Kenny laughed bitterly, "Kevin came back. Hilarious isn't it? He nearly killed my mom and when we thought we were finally free of him, he comes back and tries to kill me." He pulled off his sweater, wincing at the pain in his side. "Fucking Kevin..."

"What the hell did he do to you?" Craig didn't often worry about people, but he had good reason to be worried about Kenny. His life was a rollercoaster that never ended. When you wanted to get off, when you started to get sick, it didn't matter. You were trapped.

"He came back because he ran out of money. Of all thing. Like we have fucking money to give him. Bastard," Kenny mumbled under his breath. His clothes were horribly dirty, filled with mud and blood. Craig wasn't sure if all of it was even Kenny's blood. His cheek was cut and he had a black eye. To top it all off, after he'd taken off his sweater it was evident he had a rather brutal looking injury on the side of his waist.

"Christ," Craig muttered. "Follow me." He took Kenny's hand and dragged him into the bathroom. He heard Kenny let out a soft groan when he was pulled forward, but despite that, he kept his hold. Sometimes Craig felt like Kenny was more of a child he was babysitting than a friend, but he was okay with that. He wouldn't boast about it, but he really did like to be the one that his friends could lean on when they wanted to.

Except Clyde. Clyde had a new problem every day.

"I'm sorry, man."

"For what?" Craig inquired.

"I always do this to you."

"Kenny, I'm sure you don't get hurt on purpose," Craig let go of his hand and shut the bathroom door, bending down to get the first aid kit. "Sit down."

Kenny pulled the toilet seat down at slowly sat, trying not to irritate any of his injuries. "Of course I don't. It does _hurt _after all."

Craig kneeled in front of him and dabbed a cotton ball into alcohol. He slowly pressed it to Kenny's cut cheek and noticed the blonde flinch. Even if he had a high pain tolerance, rubbing alcohol into a cut was no picnic. "Your brother?"

"Right... I don't know what happened after I woke up. The place was trashed. Karen was hiding under our parents' bed, but she was safe. Thank God. My dad and mom weren't home; they probably don't even know he was there. I just hope he left."

"He knocked you out?"

Kenny gave Craig a look, "He killed me. I was dead and when I woke up, he was ready for round two. I'm sure he knocked me out after that again, though because I woke up in that same spot."

"Fuck, seriously?" Craig rubbed his head. He knew Kenny was immortal, but hearing him say that his own brother killed him was really rough.

"Seriously," Kenny swung his legs back. "Sometimes I wish I'd just never wake up the next time it happens. I'm never that lucky, though. No matter how many times I die, how many of Satan's parties I attend, how many times I see the white gates before I fall back into hell, it's all the same when I return. Stan and Kyle ask me where I've been, I get a knowing, sometimes sympathetic look from Eric and that's it. I don't know how many times I've told them before. I couldn't count. They never believe me."

"Not to defend them, but-"

"I know, I know. It's hard to believe I can't die. Whatever, man. I'm done with it. Next time they ask me where I was, I'll just lie."

Craig sighed, throwing the bloody cotton balls in the trash. He grabbed a Band-Aid and pressed it to Kenny's cheek. "There's one down. I'll get some ice for your eye, but," he pointed to Kenny's waist. "Hospital."

"It's that bad?"

"It's pretty bad."

"Damn it."

"I'll take you."

"Thanks."

Craig left the bathroom to grab an ice pack from the freezer. He wrapped it in a thin cloth and handed it to Kenny, who gratefully accepted and quickly pressed it to his hurt eye. "I'll take the other car. My mom probably won't mind."

Kenny raised an eyebrow, "You don't have your license."

"Fuck that," Craig grabbed the keys. "I know how to drive a car."

Kenny knew he knew how and it wasn't that Craig couldn't get his license, he was just far too lazy to. He always said as long as he knew how to drive a car, nothing else mattered. It wasn't like he'd ever leave South Park and if he did, he could bus it.

"Get in," Craig said once they were outside. He hopped into the front seat and waited for Kenny to settle down. He pressed the icepack to his eye once more and let out another groan.

"Will you do me a favor, Craig?"

"What?"

"Call Eric for me."

"What for?"

"I have to tell him something."

"Alright. I will when we arrive."

They didn't drive long. Luckily, the hospital was only about two minutes away. "Actually, do me one more favor. If I die again, can you go check on Karen? I dropped her off to hang out with Ike and Ruby. I'm sure she's fine, but just to be sure."

"You aren't going to die again."

"Just say you will."

"Fine, I will."

"Thanks," he pushed open the door and forced himself to his feet. "Shit, dude, I'm feeling dizzy."

Craig frowned and quickly locked the car, running to aid his friend. He put his arm around Kenny's waist and helped him inside the building. Almost immediately, a nurse frantically ran toward them to take Kenny away. Craig was forced to wait in a small room close to the cafeteria. He waited for nearly an hour until someone finally came to get him. He stood up as the same nurse from before walked over and smiled. "Your friend is going to be fine. You can go see him if you want."

Craig nodded and she took him to Kenny's room. Kenny was lying over the covers with his waist bandaged and holding a different cold pack over his eye. "Hey, sexy," he wiggled his eyebrows when Craig walked in.

Craig rolled his eyes. Classic Kenny, "I called the fatass. He said he'd be over when he was done playing video games. Sounds like him."

"Yeah, it does," Kenny chuckled. "So, I'm not dead."

"I didn't think you would be."

Kenny's smile dropped momentarily and he sighed. "So, this whole situation reminded me of Tweek. You need to visit him again, you know. He knows you were there. You can't hide it."

Craig shoved his hands into his pockets, "I know. I'm working on it."

"Well, no offense, Craig, but I wouldn't want you in a group project if this is your definition of _working on it_. Stop being a lame asshole and just... go. Trust me when I say this, your visit will be a good one."

"Yeah, yeah," Craig mumbled and that was when Cartman showed up.

"Sup?" he walked into the hospital door like he was walking into the house of a friend, casually and calm. He was carrying a bag of chips and one of his sneakers wasn't even tied.

"Cartman," Craig gave a nod.

"Tucker," Cartman nodded back. They weren't friends, but they weren't really enemies either. They acknowledged each other when they were in the same room and occasionally they spoke if they saw each other on the street, but they weren't closer than that.

"I'll see you around, Kenny," Craig gave a wave, knowing this was his cue to leave.

Once he was gone, Cartman gave Kenny a sour look. "I take it this is about the conversation we had at my house?"

"Yeah. As I thought... I just can't deny my feelings. Sorry I had to go and tell you everything. I kind of messed up, didn't I?"

"Yeah, you did. You're a pussy, Kenny. You're a dumb fag, but as I thought, I still can't hate you for it. I've tried to think of numerous insults and jokes, but it didn't exactly work out."

Kenny laughed, "Then, are we still friends?"

"I guess so. But just because I know, don't think you can talk to me about it. You said Craig and Tweek knew too, right? Talk to them about your faggy feelings. I know and I'm fine, but I don't wanna hear about it all the time, get it?"

Kenny grinned, "Yeah, I got it."

Cartman leaned against the wall, "When are you gonna tell him?"

Kenny only smiled secretively, "I guess we'll just see."


	7. I love You

"Hey, Kyle," Eric pounded on the door of his friend's house. "Get your Jew ass out here!" He was well aware it was early and that if Kyle did come down, he would be highly irritable, but Eric didn't care. Kyle was an idiot and he felt he needed to make this clear.

The door swung open quickly and Kyle stood there, rubbing his eyes. His hair was wildly messy and he was still dressed in his pajamas, "What. The. Fuck. Cartman. Do you know what time it is?" he growled angrily.

"I don't give a shit," Eric replied. "Come with me." He reached forward and grabbed Kyle's arm, yanking him forward and out the door. Kyle let out a surprised yelp and quickly reached to shut the door.

"What the hell are you doing, fatass?"

Eric didn't reply, but simply dragged the redhead down the sidewalk toward the hospital. He was so sick of this. How everything about Kenny had become pathetic since he started getting scared. Scared of what people would say when they found out. _Hell_, Eric thought, _if I know and I'm not saying shit, why would anyone else?!_

"Where are you taking me?" Kyle yelled, trying to free his arm, but it was no use. Ever since Eric had joined the football team, he had gained a lot of muscle. Even though Kyle hated to admit it, Eric was no longer fat. The jokes and insults they used to use against him were useless now. When he took a moment to glance around, he noticed that they were nearly at Stan's house. Eric marched up the driveway and knocked furiously at the door, ringing the doorbell multiple times.

Shelly answered the door and punched Eric in the arm, "What the hell is your problem, turd?! It's too early for turds to be banging on the door! Let me get some fucking rest, Jesus Christ!" She turned away from them and yelled for Stan to get downstairs. It took him nearly five minutes, but he finally appeared, sluggishly dragging his feet down the steps. His hair was messier than Kyle's and he, too, was still dressed in his pajamas. He let out a loud groan when he saw Eric at the door.

Shelly punched him in the side before retreating to her room. "Cartman, man, what the hell? And Kyle too? Dude what is going on, seriously? Man, I know it's nine, but it's summer. Nobody wakes up this early unless they _have _to! We stayed up late for the past few days. We need sleep!"

"Shut up, you whiny pussy," Eric reached forward and pulled Stan outside, shutting the door and pushing them both down the street.

"Whoa, dude, I'm not wearing shoes!" Kyle finally noticed, waking up a little more.

Stan snorted from beside him, "Sucks to be you." He nodded down to the slippers he was wearing. Kyle flashed him an irritated glare. Stan chuckled again and then turned his head to Eric, who was still pushing them forward. "Damn it, Cartman, where the hell are we going? I mean, you've been an annoying little asshole for the past week! What's wrong? Are you craving chocolate?" Stan joked.

"Shut the fuck up," Eric growled. "You two assholes are the stupidest people I've ever met. Sometimes I hate calling you my friends, but you are and for once in my life, I'm going to do something... good," he shuddered at that last word. "Damn Kenny."

"Kenny?" Stan frowned, "What happened; is he okay?"

"If he was, I wouldn't be up at 9 AM busting my ass trying to get you losers to the hospital. Kenny's brother returned home the other day and they got into a fight. The first time, he killed Kenny, but when he woke up, Kevin was apparently ready for round two. He broke one of Kenny's ribs."

"... Are you high? Don't you know what drugs can do to you?" Kyle scolded, unbelieving of that fact that Kenny had actually died.

"I'm not high, I'm seriously," Eric replied. It would have been funny if he didn't sound dead serious.

When they reached the hospital, Eric shoved them inside. "Alright, my work here is done. I'm not doing any more good deeds. Go see him and for God's sake, you bastards, keep a freaking open mind." He sneered at the two boys before walking off angrily.

"Dude, what's his problem?" Kyle mumbled.

"Hell if I know." Stan looked at Kyle and then at himself, "This is pretty weak, though. Being here in our pajamas after just waking up... But it's Kenny. We have to go see him."

"Yeah, of course," Kyle frowned. "I hope he's alright."

They gave each other a quick glance and quickly raced off to acquire Kenny's room number. Once they had it, they raced up to meet their injured friend.

Inside the room, Kenny was awake playing on his PSP. "Shit!" he hissed as he lost the final battle, "Sephiroth, you dirty bastard. Next round will be my victory!"

"Kenny?" Kyle slowly pushed the door open.

"Kyle?" Kenny's eyes widened, "What are you doing here?"

"Stan's here too," Kyle pulled the door open all the way and the two boys walked inside. "Sorry, we're not really dressed. Cartman came and woke us up. Man, I didn't even know you were in the hospital... Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just a broken rib. Kevin came back. We got into a fight," he tossed his PSP to the bottom of the bed and tried to push himself up without success. He let out a pained groan and sighed. "I kind of wished he'd just killed me again. At least I'd wake up without pain."

"That again?" Stan said.

Kenny looked down and let out a small chuckle, "What... I'm joking, obviously."

"Cartman doesn't seem to think so," Stan said.

Kenny looked at him, "You guys really piss me off sometimes."

Stan looked shocked, "What?"

"I mean, seriously, I really do try. I try every single fucking day to get you to believe me. I die, you guys. I die so many times that I have literally lost count! I die and it fucking _hurts! _With all the unbelievable things that happen in South Park, from giant guinea pigs to talking towels to Christmas _shit_, you can't say me dying over and over again is weird. I swear to God, Kyle, I might expect this from Stan, but you were always the one to believe whatever I confided to you. You always listened to me, no matter what I had to say and you always believed me then. Why do you two choose to turn your heads at immortality when you've had firsthand experience with far more creepy shit than that? I mean, damn, I'm done. I don't know how many times I've tried to convince you anymore. I'm sick of it, dude. Believe what you want."

Kyle clenched his fists tightly, "Shut up, Kenny. Shut up."

"Excuse me?" Kenny raised an eyebrow.

"Do you think that I want to believe that you die nearly every week? So what if I tell you you're lying, that you're just making up stories! Maybe I do believe you. Maybe I seen you die so many times before and I remember it all, but because you always come back, I try to forget it! I try to forget how many times I've cried, how much my chest hurts when I think about burying you. I don't want to remember how many of your funerals I've attended, trying so hard to keep it together, but I can't. I can never stop crying, even though I know you always come back because I know that maybe one day you might not come back. One day, you might disappear forever and that hurts me more than you can understand!" The dam behind his emerald eyes, the one he'd tried every day to keep up, had broken and he slipped down to the floor and started to cry. Stan bent down beside him, putting an arm around his shoulder. He had a faraway expression on and it confused Kenny more than he wanted to admit.

"You both... knew?"

"Of course we did, Kenny," Stan said quietly. "We just didn't want to believe it was true. It made us better to say stuff like, "You're joking" or "Stop lying" because that way, if you played along, we wouldn't feel like every time you died, a part of us did too."

Kenny felt bad for yelling at them, but he figured they deserved it a little for lying to him. He let out a small sigh, "I'm sorry. Obviously, I didn't know. But damn it, guys, you lying to yourselves makes it all the worse! Why wouldn't you just come to terms with it? I know seeing someone die isn't easy, even if you know they're coming back, but holding it in is worse."

"I know. I know it is," Kyle tried to wipe his tears, but more fell in their place. "But we care a lot about you, Kenny. You're one of our best friends. The first time I saw you die, I felt like my heart had stopped beating. All the times after that were just as bad if not worse." He pushed himself back into standing position and covered his eyes. "We're sorry too. We're failures as friends."

"Don't say that," Kenny said. "You guys are both good friends. Don't get me wrong, I really wish you would have come to terms with it sooner, but I'm glad... I'm glad that... well, you know."

Kyle tugged at the sleeves of his pajama shirt, "I know I can't tell you to stop dying, but please be more careful... I know it must hurt to die, it must hurt a lot... but try to be more careful. Please."

"I promise."

An hour more had passed as the three teenagers got everything they wanted to off their chests and then, Stan glanced at the time, realizing his mother was probably wondering where he was. "I wish I didn't have to, but I need to get going. My mom is gonna get mad that I left the door unlocked..."

Kenny nodded, "I get it. Take care."

"You take care," Stan said. "Seriously..."

Kenny gave a soft chuckle and just said, "Yeah, yeah."

After Stan had said his final goodbyes, he quietly exited the room. Kyle gave Kenny a solemn look, "I should go too. You know how my mom is..."

"Wait. Come here for a minute," Kenny pat the bed, motioning for Kyle to take a seat. Hesitantly he did so and Kenny began speaking again. "You know, I've been battling with something for a while now. It hurts when I think about it and I thought I'd been fine. I thought I could deal with it, but I was wrong."

"... What are you talking about?" Kyle looked confused.

Kenny pushed himself up, trying to forget about the pain. He let out a pained mumble when he was sitting up, "I need to tell you something."

"Yeah, sure, anything," Kyle rubbed his eyes. They were red from his burst of tears. Kenny didn't realize how much it hurt the boy when he died. He remembered the time he'd shot himself right in front of Kyle, Stan and the others. What was he thinking? What if they remembered that too?

"I'm sorry for dying so much. I know I couldn't help some of it, like the time I got muscular disease," he paused momentarily as he watched Kyle look down. "But sometimes I died on purpose and that was a pretty asshole move on my part. So, I'm sorry for putting you guys through all that."

Kyle nodded, "Don't apologize. We were pretty huge asses too."

"One more thing before you leave." Kenny felt his heart speed up in his chest. It was now or never. He needed to take a page of the book he wrote Craig and confess his feelings to the person he loved. "I don't know if you've noticed, but I haven't really been hanging out with you guys lately."

"I noticed," Kyle said.

"Yeah, well, there's a reason for that. Sometimes I feel like a third wheel whenever Eric isn't around. That's not all, though. There's something serious."

"What's wrong, Kenny?"

Kenny looked right into Kyle's eyes. There was no going back now. He smiled, "Hey. I love you."


	8. No going back

Tweek was waiting. He was anxious and he was scared, but he was waiting. It wasn't until Kenny had come back that he truly realized how much he wanted to see Craig again. They had never gone long without being apart, so he'd never truly known what it felt like. Suffice to say, he hated it.

Kenny had told him to give Craig some time, that he will show, but Tweek wasn't so sure. "Urgh, h-he probably hates me now!" he muttered to himself, grabbing at the strands of his hair. "Who wants to be friends with -ngh- someone like me anyway?" He let his hands drop to the bed again and let out a sigh. It was hopeless. He could wish it for as long as he wanted, but Craig was not going to show up. The person he cared the most about wanted nothing to do with him.

"I care about him?" Tweek said, questioning himself. "Like... that?" He didn't know if it was love, but when Kenny had brought it up he couldn't help thinking about it. He didn't think he liked boys, but then again, he supposed he didn't really like girls either. "Ugh... I want to go home!"

.000.

Just Craig's luck.

The morning after he'd dropped Kenny off at the hospital, he planned to go. To visit Tweek and explain to him how he was feeling. He couldn't bottle it up any longer. He wanted the blonde to know. So, he hopped on an early morning bus and rode it until it managed to break down. A backup bus was on its way, but Craig didn't know how long that was going to take. He impatiently paced back and forth as he waited. Then, his phone buzzed.

_Broflovski: Did you know?_

"What?" Craig mumbled to himself, replying in that same manner.

_Broflovski: Did you know about Kenny?_

Craig still didn't know quite what he was getting at, so he replied:_ That he is in the hospital? I brought him there._

_Broflovski: Not that! I'm talking about... who he likes?_

Craig didn't know. More than once, he'd asked the immortal but he'd never answer. _No, why?_

_Broflovski: Shit. Never mind. _

Craig didn't reply to him after that. Did Kyle know? Was it Kyle? Now that he thought about it, Kyle did make sense. Kenny smiled more while around him. He hoped things would work out for Kenny, but he rarely had such chances.

Craig checked his phone again, wondering why he still had Kyle's number. He acquired it when Kyle was tutoring him in math and never deleted it. Kyle did always tell him to keep it just in case he needed help. He was far nicer than Stan and Craig knew Stan hated it when they hung out, so he often did it just to provoke the guy. It was one of the few things he got pleasure from.

"The replacement bus!" someone yelled and Craig cocked his head up quickly, locating it driving down the road. It stopped, opening its doors and allowing everyone to climb on. Craig took a seat near the back and let out a groan. He was pretty fired up that morning, but this incident made his mood drop and he started to think about what Tweek would say to him when he arrived. Would he be happy? Mad? Horrified? It could quite possibly have been the latter.

.000.

"Hey, Kyle, what's wrong with you?"

Kyle looked up from his ice cream cone, toward Stan who seemed concerned that he hadn't touched it since they sat down. Kyle frowned, "I don't know... I feel like shit."

"Why?" Stan's concern grew. "Stomach ache?"

"No, it's not that kind..." Kyle said. "It's more of an anxious feeling."

"Anxious? What's worrying you? You wanna talk about it?"

"... Not really. Not now, anyway."

"Are you sure?"

Kyle nodded, "I think I just need some time to clear my head. I'm gonna go walking, okay?"

"Okay," Stan said. "Text me if you need anything. I'm here for you, man."

"Thanks, Stan," Kyle smiled and stood up, walking down the sidewalk without looking back. He stared at the ice cream cone he was holding, suddenly losing his appetite and throwing it out. "Damn it... Why did he have to tell me now... I'm so confused," he rubbed his head. He wondered if he should tell anyone about it. Kenny was still in the hospital and he wouldn't have to face him for another few days at the most. "Maybe I should just forget about it for now..."

"Forget about what?" a familiar cheerful face greeted him when he looked ahead. Bebe Stevens stood there with her long, curly hair pulled into a bun atop her head and wearing her jogging clothes. She smiled, "Everything okay, Kyle?"

"Bebe," Kyle nearly jumped. "I didn't notice you, sorry."

"Don't worry about it. You look troubled."

"Yeah, just thinking."

"Anything you want to talk about?"

Kyle tapped his chin. While Bebe and he were nowhere near as close and Stan and he were, they were still very good friends. Maybe it would be less awkward telling someone you weren't as close to, Kyle thought. Regardless, he did need to tell someone or he feared his head would explode. He just didn't want it to be Stan. "Actually, would you mind if I asked you something?"

"Sure thing," she replied.

"Do you think it's weird for a guy to like another guy? Not that it's me. I'm just wondering."

Bebe thought for a moment, "You wanna know what I think?" When she received a nod from the redhead, she continued. "I don't think people fall in love with a gender. Whoever you fall in love with, you can't help it. You can't really change it. I think if you were to fall in love with a guy, it would be fine because you'd only be falling in love with a person, right? There's nothing wrong with that."

"You think so?"

"Course I do... Now, will you answer a question of mine?"

"... I guess?"

"Is it you? Be truthful now," she said. "I won't judge you because of it and you shouldn't push yourself down either. Just charge right up to that person you like and give them a kiss! Surprise attack!"

Kyle laughed softly, "Well, truthfully, I don't know. I was confessed to and I don't know what to do."

"The worst thing to do is forget about it, sweet cheeks. I mean, then all you're doing is worrying. Think about it hard for a while and you should have your answer. Think about the person that confessed to you and what they mean to you."

"Yeah... I guess that is the most logical thing to do," Kyle said. "Thanks. I think I'll be okay now."

"Alright. I'll be around town if you need me again. Tell me how it all works out in the end!" she jogged off, waving to him as she became further and further away.

Kyle clenched his fists tightly. He bit his lip and nodded determinedly. "That's what I'll do. I'll think really hard about it and come up with an answer." When Kenny had confessed to him, Kyle was so shocked he nearly choked. Kenny told him he didn't have to answer him now or even at all, that he just needed to get it out. Kyle had made some poor excuse to leave after that and quickly left the premises. He knew it was rude and probably not the best decision, but he couldn't help it. He wasn't sure what else to do.

He began walking home. The best of his thoughts came while he was sitting comfortably on his bed, so he decided that had to be where he made such an important decision.

.000.

He was there. He had finally arrived. It had taken him far longer than he had anticipated, but now, he was standing just outside Tweek's room with a hand on the doorknob. He closed his eyes for a brief moment, letting out a quiet sigh and mentally preparing himself for what he was about to face and what he was about to do. This was it. There really was no going back this time.


	9. No Regrets

**Hi guys! Sorry for the long wait. Had lots of exams and work, hahahaha**

* * *

Craig wasn't expecting to see Tweek like that. He was expecting to see him lying on the bed, strapped down and sedated, but he wasn't expecting this. Tweek was... Tweek. If Craig didn't know any better, he'd think he was visiting the boy at his house on any regular day.

The moment he'd entered the room, Tweek turned toward him, letting out a familiar "Gah!" He quickly recovered and pulled his blankets over his legs. "Craig, what are you doing here?" he nearly yelled. "I thought you weren't coming back! I thought you hated me!"

"What?" Craig closed the door and walked over to the blonde. "Why?"

"W-well, because, you saw me! ... Like that... and I thought you wouldn't want to be around me any-ngh-more! I'm... broken..." he quieted down as he said that last part.

Craig crossed his arms. Just seeing him like this boosted his mood more than he could even admit. Tweek was okay. He was still trapped in this place, but he was okay and that was all that mattered. "Tweek. You. Are. Not. Broken."

"Then why am I here?"

Craig noticed the expression of his best friend had fallen and he questioned why. Tweek wanted to be here, didn't he? Why was he wondering why he'd put himself in? Craig sat down on the bottom of the bed and rubbed his head. He wasn't sure how to answer that question. He never really was good at giving people confidence or things like that. He was always silent if not a bit indifferent about everything. "Do you want to be here?" was the only thing he could manage to say.

"I u-used to -ngh- think I did... but now I'm not so sure. If I'm broken, maybe I can't be fixed. Maybe there's no point, but I can't take this. The needles, man! They scare me! What if one of them gives me aids and I die a slow death? Or what if something goes wrong and I get paralyzed! I hate hospitals, man!" before he could reach up and tug at his own hair, Craig leaned forward and grabbed his hands, holding them tightly.

"Tweek, calm. The. Fuck. Down."

For a moment, sitting like that with Craig's hands holding his own, he did feel calm. His cheeks flushed and his green eyes turned wide, but not from fear or anxiety. It was when Craig let go that he felt the worry fly back in. Why did it have to be like this, he wondered.

"You know you don't belong here."

"Maybe I do, but that doesn't mean I want to be here!" Tweek confessed, turning his wrists to face Craig. "I... I did this to _myself._ I wasn't even thinking about what could have happened! I wanted to be in here because I thought I needed it, but I hate it! I want out! Ugh, I'm such a horrible person!"

"You aren't." Craig frowned, glancing momentarily at the bandages. He sighed, shaking his head. "You just need a reason."

"Ngh, a reason?!"

"Yes," Craig replied. "A reason to believe that life is still worth it."

Tweek was stunned at first. Could there be such a reason out there?

"You're still seventeen. Can't you ask your parents to sign you out?"

"They think I need this more than I do!"

"Then there's one option left." All Craig used to want was a normal life. A life away from Stan's insane gang, away from Peruvian giant guinea pigs, away from lasers and break-ins and secret plans, but every time he prayed for such a life, the world sent him the exact opposite. Eventually he just grew to accept it and occasionally he would even enjoy such crazy antics. Once he realized he would never have that normal, peaceful life, he decided that maybe that would be just fine. As long as he could continue to spend his time with the people he loved so dearly, he wouldn't mind if they had to fight dragons.

Most people wouldn't expect that from Craig, though because of who he was. He was apathetic, silent, indifferent and occasionally very pissed off. Who would have figured he _actually _had feelings?

"I'm going to get your out of here."

Tweek frowned, "What?"

"I know how much you don't want to be here. I'm going to break you out."

Tweek jerked back, shocked, "W-why would you do that for me?"

"You're my best friend," Craig began, "and..."

Tweek looked at him expectantly.

"And I... I'm into you."

.000.

"Sephiroth, I swear to god, I'm gonna kill you this time!" Kenny hissed at his PSP. He heard faint laughing from the door and quickly paused his game so that he wouldn't lose his progress. "Kyle?" he swallowed, feeling slightly anxious. Last time he saw the redhead, he was bolting it out of the room. "Back so soon?" he tried to smile, but truthfully, he was scared. Scared of rejection that he knew he was going to face.

"Sorry," Kyle said. "I heard you talking to your game and didn't want to disturb you."

"Oh, yeah, Final Fantasy," Kenny chuckled softly. "You should try it."

"Maybe," Kyle smiled, but shortly after it was replaced with a frown. Silence filled the room as the two teenagers waited for the other to speak. Eventually, realizing Kenny wasn't going to say anything, Kyle spoke up again. "I was out with Stan, but I couldn't really have fun because all I felt was anxiety. I felt like my stomach was twisting and that a war was going on in there, but I couldn't stop it. I didn't know what to do, so I left and went for a walk. It was there that I met Bebe and I talked to her about what you said to me. I didn't tell her it was you, though."

"W-what did she say?" Kenny swallowed again.

"She told me to think long and hard about you and try to understand what I was feeling. To think about when we hang out and how I feel when we're together. So, I went home." He paused momentarily and let out a sad sort of chuckle, "But I couldn't think of anything. Every time I thought about our adventures, all I could remember was you dying. And I wondered. I wondered how you could be so happy all the time knowing you might die any minute. How could I be happy knowing that when I turned back to look at you, you might be hit by a car or drowning in a lake... or something even worse."

"Kyle, I-" Kenny began, but Kyle cut him off.

"No, wait. I'm not done." He took a deep breath. "Yeah, I did wonder those things, but I realized that I can be happy _because_ you are. I worry about you dying all the time, but because you can still smile, so can I. If someone can find happiness in a cursed life, then I should certainly be able to find it too. Even though I know all these things, when I think about a relationship with you... everything comes up blank."

Kenny knew what was coming next. The inevitable "I can't accept your feelings." He sighed, closing his eyes and preparing himself for the letdown so it wouldn't hurt so much.

"But just because I can't put any thoughts into my mind when I think about a relationship with you, I don't think that means it can't work. I like spending time with you. I know that. S-so, kiss me. If I feel something there, then that should be enough, right?" he bit his lip anxiously.

"What?" Kenny was dumbfounded. Kyle was giving him permission to take a kiss. Of course he wanted to, but he didn't know if he could. He really did love the redhead and he wasn't sure he wanted to kiss him when he knew Kyle wasn't really prepared to accept his feelings. He looked down and pushed himself up off the hospital bed, wincing from the pain. Nevertheless, he walked over to Kyle and put his hands on his shoulders. "I won't."

"Why is that?" Kyle asked, not sounding surprised in the least.

"I don't think you want this. I'm not going to kiss you if you don't want to kiss me too. I really do love you, Kyle and while it hurts, it's okay if you don't love me back. I know you care about me. Even though it's just as a friend, that's okay. I'll deal with it, so don't push yourself. I don't want you to worry about it."

Kyle's face was unreadable, though he seemed to be contemplating his next move. A smile grew on his lips. "You are a really good friend, but it's my turn to tell you not to worry now. You never stop telling people not to worry and I know why. You can't shoulder such a burden alone, though. Your curse, your pain and suffering, it weighs down on you, so... Let me take off some of your weight, okay?" he lifted his hands and placed them over Kenny's. "You may be good at reading other people, but you can't read me. I do care about you, Kenny. A lot. Sit back down. I don't want you to hurt yourself again."

As Kenny sat back down on the bed, he wasn't quite sure where their conversation had escalated to. What feelings had been confessed, exactly? Kyle was certainly right when he said he couldn't read him. "What now...?" he asked confusedly.

Kyle gave Kenny a long stare before he sat back down next to him, "I thought it was obvious." He turned to his blonde friend and said, "I do want to do this, so don't pull back, okay?"

Kenny nodded and Kyle leaned forward close enough so their noses touched before he placed a kiss on Kenny's lips. It was small and it didn't last long, but Kenny felt his stomach erupt with butterflies.

When Kyle pulled back, he placed his fingers over his mouth with a very readable expression. Few tears fell down his cheeks. Kenny was shocked. Was it because of him? Why was he crying? "It's hard to breathe," Kyle confessed.

Kenny sat up straight, "Yeah... for me too. It always is when I'm around you."

"I didn't know," Kyle rubbed his eyes quickly, "I'm sorry you had to live with this for so long. I'm sorry you had to love someone like me. I know I'm not the coolest person ever."

"Not true. You are plenty cool. Trust me," Kenny said. "Kyle, I love you."

With now clear eyes, Kyle smiled softly, "One more time."

"I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you."

He nodded, closing his eyes and letting out a shaky sigh, "I think I love you too. No, I know it. This fluttery feeling is never around when I'm with Stan and it certainly isn't with Cartman. Just you... Just you."

Was something actually working out for him? Kenny thought this was too good to be true, but even if he was dreaming, Kyle said he loved him and that was amazing to him. The fact that someone so brave, so smart, so brilliant and lively would love a cursed poor sap like him was definitely enough.

He thought if he were to die right there and never come back, he'd have no regrets.


	10. Resolution

**Sorry for the short chapter! I'm really unmotivated lately hahaha ^^;;**

* * *

Kenny woke up, rubbing his eyes and looking around, "Shit," he mumbled, realizing he was still in the hospital. He sat up, feeling less pain than before and upon remembering his conversation with Kyle, he wondered if it was all a dream after all. It certainly felt real, but he had nothing to prove that it was. He needed to know, but unless the emerald eyed boy visited him, he couldn't. "Great," he sighed, running a hand through his hair.

He spent the day alone, with only the doctors checking up on him every so often and good ol' Sephiroth, who he had finally managed to beat. When he let out a victorious cheer, he noticed a small laugh coming from the door. He looked up and noticed Kyle, who was dressed casually in sweatpants and a plain white t-shirt. He gave a small wave and walked inside. "You finally beat him?"

"Yeah," Kenny grinned and put down his game. "Took me fucking forever, though."

"Well, good," Kyle said. "You were always the best at video games." He walked closer and sat on Kenny's bed. "I just... came to talk. About yesterday."

"So, it did happen?" Kenny said.

Kyle laughed, "Yeah. I was clear minded. I knew what I was doing and... when I went home last night, I told my mom about it. I don't really know if that was the best idea, but I knew I'd have to someday. I didn't want her to find out from someone else."

"You mean like Eric?" Kenny said.

"Yeah, like that asshole," Kyle replied. "I still can't believe you told him before me."

Kenny shrugged, "I can't either... But I mean, you were always with Stan. Eric and I were kind of becoming better friends because of it. He's an asshole and he's stupid, but he never stopped talking to me, even after I told him."

"I guess he does have a heart."

"A little one," Kenny laughed. "But what did you want to talk about?"

"Well... about this..." he gestured to Kenny. "I mean, what... are we?"

"What did you tell your mom we were?"

"I told her that we had feelings for each other, but that's it. She kind of went a bit weird about it. I think it's going to take her a while to get used to the idea. Aside from my parents, I haven't said anything else to anyone. To be honest, I'm kind of nervous to."

"Relax. Nobody will do anything to us. I'm just happy."

"Why?"

"Because I finally get to do stuff like," he leaned forward and gave Kyle's cheek a kiss, "this."

Kyle blushed softly, "Dork."

Kenny sat back and pat the area beside him, motioning for Kyle to come closer. He did so and slowly leaned against Kenny, careful not to disturb his injuries. "Kenny, I want you to get out of the hospital soon so we can do real things together."

"We can do stuff together now," Kenny picked up his PSP. "You up for a little battle?"

Kyle laughed, "Yeah, okay. Teach me how it's done."

.ooo.

A Day Earlier

"W-what?" Tweek's eyes went wide. "What do you -ngh- mean?"

"I mean what I said. I'm into you," Craig thought it would be hard to tell Tweek how he truly felt, but now that he was saying it, he felt relief. "For a while now."

"W-what?" Tweek repeated. Craig couldn't tell if he was just stunned or still didn't understand. "You're lying," he said quietly.

"I'm not."

"Th-that's way too much pressure! You can't be telling the truth! We're just friends!"

"Yeah, we are," Craig said. "But I don't want to be just friends. I like you, Tweek."

"Y-you do?"

"Yeah."

"O-oh god! I don't know what to say?" he nearly yelled, reaching for his hair and tugging at the strands.

"You don't have to answer me now," Craig said. "Just think about it. For me, okay?"

Tweek didn't say anything, but only nodded slowly. Craig was his best friend and nothing would ever change that, not even when he knew Craig had feelings for him. Even if he didn't return them, he didn't want them to drift apart. He thought if Craig could love him, he wanted to see if he could love him back.

His conversation with Kenny showed him that he felt something. He just didn't know what, exactly, it was. "I'm still going to break you out. Even if you don't answer me."

"Ngh, why?"

"Because. I want to set you free."


	11. The Plan

Tweek twiddled his thumbs anxiously. He rubbed his eyes, knowing that soon Craig would arrive and with him he would bring Clyde and Token. He was absolutely petrified at what they might say; what they might do, but Craig had convinced him that this way would be better. For some reason, Tweek believed it when it came from Craig's mouth.

He tightly grabbed the blankets, remembering that it was just yesterday that he was confessed to. For the first time in his life, someone was confessing to him and it was Craig of all people! He couldn't believe it. He didn't want to believe it because then, if he did and it ended up being a lie, he didn't know if he could live with himself.

"W-what if I'm dreaming?" he yelled to himself. "What if I'm actually way worse off! So bad that I'm locked away in a soft room i-in a straightjacket! I'm just dreaming this fantasy up! Urgh!" He knew it sounded farfetched, but he couldn't help the way he was.

Just then, he heard the doorknob to his room rattle and he clutched the blankets even tighter, letting out a horrified squeak. They were coming in. Craig, Clyde and Token were coming in and they were going to see him like this. He quickly pulled the blanket over his head and hugged his knees tightly. He didn't want to be seen.

"H-hey... Tweek," he heard Clyde's voice first and three sets of shoes walk into the room. Tweek could feel himself start to shake, but he didn't pull the blankets off. Someone sat on the edge of his bed. It was Clyde again. "Hey," he repeated. "H-how are you?"

"Clyde," Token mumbled, shaking his head. "Don't ask him that."

"Sorry," Clyde's voice was shaking. "I just... don't know what else to say."

"I-it's gross, right? I'm broken, right? That's what you -ngh- want to say, isn't it?" Tweek said quietly from underneath the blankets. "You don't have to tell me! I know it!"

"That's not what I want to say!" Clyde sounded scared. "That's definitely not it! How could you think that? You aren't broken, Tweek. If anything, I'd say you're strong! I'd never be able to come to this sort of place. Right, guys?" he looked toward Token and Craig for help.

"Th-that's right." Token took a step forward, "We're here for you, always. We don't care that you're here. It doesn't change the fact that we all care about you. We have fun together. That's what we think about when we're with you, not the fact that you're currently in a center for mental health. You're still the Tweek we know and care about!"

Tweek could feel his eyes watering. His closest friends were here now, telling him they cared about him and support him, but he was scared and he still didn't know why. They were here, telling him it was okay, so why couldn't he face them?

"Take the blankets off," Craig finally spoke.

Tweek jumped at finally hearing his voice. He'd started to wonder if he was going to say anything until that point. "No..." Tweek mumbled. He still wasn't ready. He could hear Craig walking over and he'd started to look up when he felt the blankets being forcefully yanked off of him. HE let out a yelp and glanced up at Craig, who was holding them in his arms with his usual expressionless face.

"Look at us. We're not judging you," he simply said.

Tweek slowly looked at the faces of the other two in the room, realizing Craig was right. Clyde looked a little pale, but he was still smiling when Tweek turned to him. He gave a slight nod as to back up Craig's words. Tweek quickly turned to Token, who flashed him a comforting smile. "He's right, you know. It doesn't matter that you're here. If it was what you wanted, we're here for you."

"Well," Craig started, "that's part of why you're here."

Clyde and Token exchanged confused glances.

"We're going to break him out," Craig said it so nonchalantly that Clyde burst into laughter, thinking it was all some big joke.

"That was a good one," he said. "I mean, sorry," he rubbed his head. "Sorry, for laughing in this sort of situation... but you know, why did you really decide to tell us? We were pretty worried about you, but we didn't think it was going to be something like this, you know?"

"I-I'm sorry I didn't -hng- tell you! I was scared... of what you might say."

"Don't be scared, man," Token said. "You're still the same Tweek to us."

Tweek rubbed his eyes, "Th-thanks, man. I'm happy you said that!"

"I wasn't joking, though," Craig said. "About before."

Token crossed his arms, "About breaking him out? You must be... That's ridiculous. Didn't you tell us he signed himself in?" he turned to Tweek, "Maybe you'd better explain this from the beginning..."

So, they did. Craig took a seat in the spare chair and started telling Tweek's story. He knew Tweek wouldn't want to tell it himself, so he would. Unfortunately, since it was Craig, the story was condensed, not very descriptive and quite short, but Clyde and Token managed to get the gist.

"Ahh..." Clyde rubbed his head, "I think I get the idea..."

"Me too," Token said. "But you know, it's still no easy feat, breaking someone out of a hospital. You do realize that if you really are going to do this, you could get into a great amount of trouble if you're caught. Not to mention how hard it will actually be to get in and out without being seen."

"Yeah..." Clyde frowned, "I mean, I understand why you'd want to leave. This place is really gloomy and horrible and your parents suck for making you stay-"

"Clyde!" Token snapped.

"Sorry, sorry! That's not what I meant!" Clyde waved his hands around. "No, I mean, like, I'd want to leave too and I'd want you guys to do everything you could to get me out, so it's not that I'm worried about. It's just... Tweek, is this what you really want? If it is, just say it. I want to hear it come from your own mouth."

Tweek looked to Craig, who nodded and he spoke, "I... don't want to be here anymore. Please help me."

Clyde smiled softly, "Well... then, I guess that's all there really is to it, isn't it?" he looked to Token and Craig. "I'm done. Let's go all 007 on this place."

Token put his hands on his hips, "You guys are honestly way too reckless sometimes. I always thought you wanted an easy, peaceful life," he said to Craig. "It seems like lately you've been seeking out excitement. You're growing. It's good. I'm in too."

Craig smiled softly, "Thanks. I know I don't ask you guys a lot, but thanks."

"Well, it's about time you learn to rely on us!" Clyde jumped up and slung an arm over Craig's shoulder. "Just tell us what we need to do."

"For now, nothing," Craig said. "At four in the evening, meet in front of Clyde's house."

"My house? Shit, dude, if my dad finds out what we're doing he'll kill me."

"Don't worry."

"... Well, alright, but if I'm caught, I'm taking you down too!"

"So, that's it then? We're really doing this?" Token asked, but he didn't need a reply when he saw the excited smiles of everyone else in the room. "Well... okay then. We'll meet you back at Clyde's at four. For now, I guess we'll get everything ready. I've got some stuff back home that might help."

"Are we gonna dress in all black, like in the movies?" Clyde jumped up and down excitedly.

"Not unless you want to get caught" Token rolled his eyes. "Well, we'll decide most of this later. Let's make it home for now and gather everything we're going to need."

"Thanks again," Craig said.

"No problem. We're doing this for Tweek too, remember?" Token smiled. "Clyde and I will head out first."

"Okay," Craig nodded and watched as Clyde and Token said their goodbyes to Tweek and headed out the door. When they were gone, Craig turned to Tweek and said, "I told you. It wasn't bad."

"Y-yeah," Tweek nodded, fidgeting with his hospital gown.

"So," Craig sighed softly. "Have you thought about it?"

Tweek nodded awkwardly, hugging his knees again. "Yeah -ngh- I did... F-for a really long time, I did. I still don't know what to say though! I've never been in love before! I don't know what it feels li-" but before he could continue, Craig placed his hand on the back of Tweek's head, pulling him close and pressing their lips together. He could feel Tweek tense up, but he thought this would be the best way for Tweek to understand his feelings. To understand how much he cared. If he could put all that emotion he never showed into one kiss, he was sure the blonde would feel it.

Within moments, they broke apart and Craig pulled back to look at Tweek's face. His eyes were closed tightly and his cheeks were flushed pink. After a few seconds, his eyes opened slightly and he let out a quick breath. "What do you feel?" Craig asked.

"Goosebumps," Tweek replied. He glanced down at his arms and Craig handed the blanket back to him, which he swiftly wrapped back around himself. "I-is this what it means to -ngh- l-love someone?

Craig took Tweek's hand and pressed it to his own chest. "Do you feel that? How fast it's beating. It's because of you."

Tweek pulled his hand back and frowned slightly, but within seconds he took Craig's hand and did the same, pressing it to his chest. "Mine... is the same." He let go and smiled. "I think I understand now."

"The verdict?"

"I... I know I felt happy when you confessed to me! My heart is beating fast and my cheeks feel warm, but it won't go away because y-you're still here. I'm still thinking about you. Being in a relationship is a lot of pressure and thinking about it with any other person scares me... but with you, it feels different, like I'll be okay."

Craig smiled, "Hey. That's enough for me."


	12. A Halt in the Plan

**Hey guys! R&R Please. They keep me going, haha. Thanks~**

* * *

"Operation Break-Tweek-Out-of-that-Lame-Ass-hospital is underway!" Clyde pumped his fists into the air, chuckling excitedly. It was two minutes short of four in the evening and Craig and Clyde were awaiting the final member to their team.

"Where's Token?" Craig checked his watch.

"Chill, dude, he'll be here. He's our ride after all," Clyde grinned. Currently, the two were located on the sidewalk in front of Clyde's house. At first, the brunette was worried his father would question where he was going, but when he'd arrived home that evening, he told Clyde he was tired and sick and went straight to bed. He could see it in his father's eyes. How tired he truly was. Clyde wondered if he'd ever get over the death of his mother. He sighed softly, thinking about it causing Craig to raise an eyebrow.

"What?" he tried to sound compassionate, but it just ended up sounding unemotional. Like always. Sometimes he hated that about himself, but other times, he was okay with it. Like when Stan and him got into fights. His indifferent nature pissed Stan off more than he'd even intended.

"Just thinking a little, about my mom," he chuckled quietly. "It's okay."

Craig frowned. He'd never lost anyone before, aside Stripe, so he couldn't really relate. Of course, when Stripe died, he was horribly upset, but he wouldn't say anything about it. Losing a mother would hurt far more. "Sorry," Craig said. "I don't know what to say... In times like these."

"No, it's alright, man. I don't expect you to know. I mean, when someone dies, what can you say? There's nothing that'll lessen the pain, you know? So, it's alright." Clyde looked down the street and suddenly lifted his arm and waved. "Token's here!"

Craig sighed. He really wished he could be more useful.

"Hey, guys, sorry I'm a few minutes late. It took a while to convince my mom to let me borrow the car," he said. "But I'm here now, so what's the plan?"

"Right," Craig hopped into shotgun and waited for Clyde to climb into the back. Once they'd started driving, he continued to talk. "I've never really done this before. Obviously. I don't know if it'll work."

Token smiled, "Hey, it's alright. I'm sure Tweek appreciates the effort. Even if we end up getting caught, we still tried. Although, let's not get caught. I don't really want to get into trouble."

"Oh, yeah, by the way, have you thought about where Tweek can stay?" Clyde piped up. "I mean, I'd think it'd be with you, Craig, but let's face it... your home life isn't really... you know."

Craig mumbled a curse word. He knew what Clyde meant. He knew that his parents didn't get along great sometimes, but they never hurt him or his sister. They wouldn't do that. "Where else?" he asked, referring to the fact that there was nowhere else he could go.

"He can stay at my house," Token said. "My parents don't know what's going on with him and we have plenty of room. He'll be safe there. Plus, it's farther away from Denver."

"Yeah, that sounds good. But we'll all come visit often," Clyde said.

"Wouldn't have it any other way," Token said. "That okay with you, Craig?"

Craig nodded. Token's house really was the best option. Even if Tweek would be farther away from him, even if it would be more of a hassle to visit, he wouldn't mind. It would be fine because it was for Tweek. "Yeah," he answered.

"So, the plan?" Token inquired again.

"Right," Craig started. "Visiting hours end at 9PM, so we have a lot of time."

"Seems so. So, we'll get there around five-thirty, giving us three and a half hours to break him out. That is plenty of time. I think if we do it right and everything goes without a hitch, we can be out of there within a half hour," Token said.

"That's what I'm thinking," he said, grabbing his phone when it began to ring.

_Kenny: hey, man, good luck tonight. sorry for earlier._

Craig smiled softly. He'd told Kenny what he was doing and they'd gotten into a fight about it, so he wasn't expecting the guy to shoot him a text anytime soon. In his own way, Kenny did want him to get Tweek out. He knew he'd be happier, he just worried. He replied with a: _Thanks, McCormick._

"There will be quite a few nurses inside, so we'll just have to go around them and not be seen. The biggest trouble will be the person at the front desk. As soon as we walk in she'll see us."

"Leave that to me," Clyde smirked. "I'll distract her. That way, she won't even notice you two enter. I think it'll be safer that way after all."

"Thanks," Craig replied. "Then, Token and I will move onto the floor Tweek is on. From before, I checked a few doors down and there are some extra uniforms. We can use them, but we have to be stealthy."

"Sounds good," Token said.

"After we change, we'll fetch him."

"What if he's doped up? They'll do that if he's not cooperating," Clyde frowned. "It'll make things a lot tougher... Plus, I hope you guys do hurry. I can stall. It's one of my good qualities, but I can't stall forever. I'm good for maybe an hour at the most."

"We won't need that long, I'm sure," Token said. "We'll be in and out," he sped up slightly. "Besides, after you see us make it up the stairs safely, you don't have to stay down there. You can come meet us. We'll wait for you outside of the room Craig is talking about, so don't dawdle."

"That's... basically it," Craig concluded. "I figure if we run into trouble.. we'll just figure something out there. On the spot," he said, casually crossing his arms.

"I sure hope that works," Clyde mumbled. "We're being counted on."

Token gave Craig and Clyde a brief glance before returning to look at the road. "I get the feeling that it's going to be a lot harder than any of us imagines. We're talking about it like we can just stroll inside and pick him up, but I think we all know it will not be that easy. That being said, I still believe we can do it. If we work hard, it'll be okay."

"Yeah," Clyde slapped on his signature grin. "We're doing this for him, remember?"

.00.

Once they had finally arrived in Denver, it was 5:41 and once they'd made it to the hospital, it was 5:53. They quickly jumped out of Token's car and glanced around the area. There were only six other cars parked outside. "I guess I'm up," Clyde said. "I'll make her turn her head so she won't see you guys go in. After that, I'll ask her to do something in those back rooms head desk people always have. When she does, I'll run off. It's foolproof!"

"Eh... yeah, just don't screw up," Token said, pushing him forward. He only chuckled and walked through the front doors. One was left open like usual, so Token and Craig stealthily peeked inside, watching Clyde. He sauntered up to the lady at front desk, stepping far to the left so she needed to turn to talk to him.

"Evening, ma'am," he said.

"Good evening," she said, turning to glance at him. "May I help you."

He took a step even further left so she needed to do a complete 180 to see him. "How are you on this fine evening?" he asked, ignoring her question.

She turned around completely, giving him a strange look. "I'm fine, and yourself?"

This was when Craig and Token snuck inside. It wasn't completely necessary for this step to take place, but Clyde thought it was cool and felt more like a secret mission. Besides, if the front desk lady didn't remember them enter, she wasn't going to wonder when they'd leave. She didn't seem to like letting Tweek have visitors, anyway.

"I hope he doesn't keep babbling on," Token mumbled. "But knowing Clyde, he just might."

"Leave him. He'll be fine," Craig replied as they raced up the steps past four or five different people. None of them seemed to work there, which they were happy about.

Craig led him to the storage room with the extra uniforms. They quickly opened the door and slipped inside, thankful nobody was inside. They'd have some explaining to do if there was. "Quick, grab a uniform and put it on."

"Which one?" Token looked around, noticing different types.

"Does it really matter?" Craig grabbed the first one he saw off a hanger and slipped it on over his clothes. He looked to Token, who had done the same. "Grab a mask, too. We don't want people to see us. We'll look too young."

Token nodded, slipping one over his face. "Alright, now were ready for good." He pushed the door back open and looked around, quickly stepping back outside. "I suppose it's a good thing we're rather tall. We'll blend in better with the real doctors and nurses."

Moments later, Clyde joined the two, commenting on how cool they looked. "Sweet disguises!" he grinned. "I'll be like this, though. It'll be more believable if there's only two docs. Anyway, you can be walking me to a room!"

"Mm," Craig nodded, walking down the hall, three doors later to Tweek's room. They gave it a small knock before opening it up and glancing inside.

It would have been easy. It would have been quick. Maybe they could have just grabbed him and left. Craig didn't think anything bad could possibly get in the way, but when he pushed open that door, he was shocked. "Fuck," he muttered.

"W-what does this mean?" Clyde frowned.

"I... don't know," Token answered for them. "But it's not good. This puts the whole plan on hold. We're going to have to do something about this. Craig?"

Craig cursed again. No, it didn't even occur to him that when they opened the door Tweek might not be there.


	13. Everything Doesn't always go as Planned

**I got a scary review from Satan so I figured I'd better post the next chapter xD**

* * *

"Dude, where the hell is he? Shouldn't he have been right here?" Clyde gestured inside the blank room. "Now our plan is totally over. What do we do, guys? Aw shit, man..."

"Clyde, calm the fuck down," Craig sighed. He knew Tweek had to be around here somewhere. It was just a matter of finding out exactly where that was. He turned to look down the hallway, noticing two nurses heading their way. He quickly motioned for them to make sure they were in order.

Token fixed hiss mask and straightened his coat. He cleared his throat, beginning to speak to Clyde about how things work around the hospital. "...And surgery can take any time from minutes to long hours. It depends on the surgery."

"What?" Clyde gave him a look until Craig nudged him hard in the ribs and he noticed the nurses. "Oh, right, right," he coughed. "Y-yeah, that's good. I'll write that in my paper."

They kept up their charade until the nurses passed by them. Token rubbed his head, "Damn. That was somewhat of a close call."

"My bad," Clyde mumbled. "But what do we do?"

"Split up and look for him," Craig said. "Meet here in a half hour."

"Alright. Should one of us go with Clyde? He might get in trouble otherwise," Token stated.

"Hey, I'll be fine! I'll just say that I'm lost if they ask me what I'm doing," Clyde whined. "Let me go off on my own. I'm not four, guys, goooood!"

"Are you sure about that?" Token crossed his hands.

"Alright. Three ways. Let's go," Craig simply said, deciding for all of them. The other two took one look at him, saw the determination in his eyes and quickly ceased arguing. They nodded and Token turned left. Clyde went straight down and Craig headed right.

They searched for a little over a half hour before they met up again; Clyde being a little later since he got caught and had to run away to hide. Nevertheless, they all met up again in front of Tweek's room. "Did anyone find him?" Token asked only to receive shaking heads as an answer.

"Oh, shit!" Clyde hissed. "I've gotta hide. Cover me!" he quickly ducked into Tweek's room as Token and Craig exchanged confused looks.

Suddenly a security guard walked up to them. They froze.

"Sorry to disturb you, doctors, but have you seen a brown haired teenager running around here? Apparently he's causing a bit of a ruckus."

Craig sighed, shaking his head.

Token cleared his throat, "No, we have not. We will keep our eyes open, though."

"Alright," the guard nodded and walked off.

"Clyde..." Craig mumbled.

"We should have guessed this would happen," Token said, when suddenly the door Clyde was hiding behind flung open and the brunette pulled the other two inside.

"Guys," he whispered, "he's back."

"Eh?" Token's eyes widened and he glanced toward the bed. Tweek looked shocked, but he gave them a small wave nonetheless.

"Where were you?" Token asked.

"Are you okay?" Craig frowned.

"Did they torture you?!" Clyde gasped.

"N-no!" Tweek waved his hands defensively. "I was just..."

"Just...?" Token repeated.

"In surgery?" Clyde gasped again.

"Getting food," Tweek finished.

The three of them exchanged looks of why-didn't-we-even-consider-that. "Shit, man," Clyde said. "We were running around looking for you for like forty minutes. I kept thinking about all the places you could have been and I even accidentally walked in on a lady about to give birth! It was not a pretty sight, let me tell you that!" he shuddered. "I still feel sick thinking about it!"

"So that's why they're chasing you around..." Token mused.

"Sorry to -ngh- worry you!" Tweek said. "I didn't know when y-you'd get here."

"It's cool. It's our fault for not specifying," Clyde said. "But we're here! We're here now. We're here to break you out of this place if you still want us to."

"To be honest, I really didn't think you were -nnh- gonna come," Tweek slowly stood off the bed and went over to grab his patient housecoat. He quickly slipped it on as well as his slippers. "But I'm ready!"

"Of course we'd come," Craig said. "We don't want to see you in here. Not anymore than you want to be here," he placed a hand on Tweek's shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile. It was weird, Tweek thought, to see him smile in such a way when he was usually angry or completely indifferent. He thought a smile suited Craig's face more.

"Let's get going before they come back for me," Clyde said anxiously. "And then, when we all get out, we'll drive to Token's house, get you out of these hospital clothes and have ourselves a party!"

Tweek knew that it wouldn't be easy to start being happy again. He wasn't happy, but he thought that if he had people that cared so much for him that they were willing to break the law for his sake, he could try harder. He could try harder for them because he didn't want to leave them anymore.

Yes, he was still upset, he knew he still had many problems, but those problems seemed to disappear whenever he was with his friends and he thought that was a huge step forward. They used to continuously be there. There was even a point in time he thought he'd never, ever be free, but they had changed that. They had changed him and he was pretty okay with that.

Craig looked at Tweek. He was tired, he could tell, but his green eyes had begun to get their light back. He didn't want to say it was solely because of him, but he knew that his team had a part to play. He had to admit, it made him feel pretty good to know he'd been a part of what had brought someone's light back to them.

Token pushed open the door and glanced outside both ways. "Coast's clear."

The four of them quickly stepped out to the light and in front of Tweek. "We need to disguise him. They won't let a patient out of the hospital so easily," Token said. "He can wear my outfit. I don't want to take too many from the storage." He quickly took Tweek into the extra room and they both changed. Token was back in his original clothes and Tweek was dressed as a doctor. The clothes were somewhat big for him, but the foursome didn't think such small details mattered so much at this point.

Once they were done, they continued down the hallway. "Clyde, you're up," Token said.

Clyde grinned, "Leave the front desk lady to me again!" he quickly skipped down the steps and to the desk, giving the woman a bright smile, "I'm back!"

"Oh, good," she sighed. "How can I help you this time?"

He repeated the same charade, inching himself so far to the side that she had to turn to talk to him. He'd even been so clever as to point out that "Hey, I see someone in the back room! Is that a little kid?"

The woman panicked, quickly getting up and running back, "Children shouldn't be in there!"

Clyde ran outside first, followed by Token, who high-fived him when he'd reached the outdoors. Craig and Tweek weren't so far behind. They had to walk slower since Tweek had little strength left.

Just as they had almost made it to the door, a woman stopped them. "Doctors Munroe and Robin? What are you two doing leaving so early? We have three surgeries lined up for you."

Craig looked down at his nametag. Indeed, it said Munroe and Tweek's said Robin. "Well," Craig said. "I forgot something..."

"Like what?" the woman asked.

Tweek started shaking beside him and he knew he had to think of something quick or their whole plan would backfire. "Some documents," he said.

"I'm sure you can get them later," she patted his shoulder, "let's go."

There was no way in hell Craig's inexperienced hands were going to perform a surgery, but his brain had gone blank. He noticed Token and Clyde peering inside looking far more worried. Clyde motioned to Craig to do something, but what? He didn't know what to do.

It was then that Tweek's legs gave out and he fell over. The woman quickly noticed this, jumping to see what was wrong. "Dr. Robin! ...Dr. Robin?" she raised an eyebrow. "Wait a minute..."

_Fuck. Fuck. Shit! _Craig cursed to himself.

She stood up and turned to Craig, pulling down his mask. "Just as I thought! You two aren't doctors. Who are you and what do you think you're doing impersonating the staff here?" she sounded furious and Craig didn't think simply running would do much to save him this time. He didn't want to leave Tweek either. The person they'd done all this for.

He was naive to think it would be this easy.


	14. A little Push

Craig sat in his house, frustrated and angry as his mother yelled at him. "Just what on earth were you thinking, Craig?" she looked angry and Craig knew she was disappointed, but he really didn't care. He watched as she gave him the finger, continuing to talk and he just returned the gesture.

Ruby was sitting at the kitchen table, swinging her legs back and forth and rolling her eyes. "God, Craig is so stupid," she muttered, not understanding why she needed to be present at the moment.

"You are so lucky that you're still seventeen!" his mother said. "Can you imagine the trouble you could have gotten in somewhere else at some other time? What if you went to jail; what then?"

"Fuck off, mom," he muttered. "It's fine."

"No, it's not fucking fine!" she sighed, exhausted. "Go to your room! I'll deal with you later!" she turned back toward Ruby, "Come on, let's go drive you to the Broflovski house."

Craig looked at Ruby who hopped off the chair. She was supposed to go hang out with Ike, but he'd prevented her from going on time. She was probably pissed, but she'd get over it. He stood up and ran to his room, slamming the door shut. "Damn it," he hissed. They had been so close.

.000.

Hours Earlier

Craig and Tweek were saying their final farewells. Because they really were final, until Tweek got out of the hospital, that is. For his actions, he'd been banned, never able to set foot inside again. Because Clyde and Token were already out, they hadn't been punished. Clyde thought that was a home free, but Token thought they ought to fess up as well.

"No, don't bother. It won't do anything," Craig had said.

"But you can't go down alone," Token frowned.

"It's no big deal. No one was hurt. All I did was try to take him outside," Craig mumbled.

So, Token and Clyde had stayed quiet. They all figured it would be better if Token and Clyde could go in Craig's place to visit Tweek instead of no one.

.000.

Craig kicked the side of his dresser. He remembered how upset Tweek looked when they'd been found out. The feeling that took him over was unbearable. He'd failed the one he loved and he didn't even get to ask to be forgiven. All the hospital staff had let him get out before he was dragged off the premises was, "Wait, Tweek!"

Tweek had only raised a hand and shook his head. He forced on a small smile and said, "It's okay."

Craig wondered if it was actually okay. What if Tweek, deep down, regretted ever letting him know what he was dealing with. He wouldn't have had to deal with such a horrible let down if he hadn't.

Craig had failed Tweek. He'd failed him. He failed.

Suddenly, his phone buzzed on the night table beside him.

_Kenny: howd it go?_

Craig didn't want to tell him, but he knew he'd find out from Tweek sooner or later. He sighed, replying with: _I failed him. He must hate me now._

_Kenny: dont be a dumb shit, craig. theres no way tweek could hate you._

_I messed up. I got caught._

_Kenny: so? who cares man. you tried, thats all he cares about._

_You think so?_

_Kenny: i know so. dont worry._

_I am now banned from the Hospital. I am not allowed to see him again._

_Kenny: since when has that shit ever stopped you before? _

Craig thought for a moment. Kenny was right. _Fuck, you're right,_ he replied.

_Kenny: always am! ill talk to you later dude. _

Craig threw his phone onto the bed. He looked at himself in the mirror. His eyes were dark and tired, his skin its usual pale color and he was dressed in a plain t-shirt. He thought he didn't look like himself. Almost as if he was another person.

Summers in South Park changed everyone, but sometimes it was for the worse.

He heard the door open downstairs. "Craig, it's me and Token! What happened? Are you in trouble?" Clyde was yelling loudly around the house.

"I'm upstairs," Craig yelled and within seconds Clyde and Token burst into the room.

"Dude, what happened? Are you cool? Did you get into trouble? What about your mom? Did she say anything? Was your dad here?" Clyde started babbling until Token elbowed him in the ribs.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yeah," Craig sighed. "I'm alright. Got yelled at, sent to room. The usual."

"What about the hospital?"

"They're not pressing charges or anything. I'm banned, though."

"What, for real? How will you be able to see Tweek again, then?" Clyde asked.

"I'll figure something out. But... for now, I have to tell you something."

Token and Clyde stayed quiet. They could sense the mood was more serious.

"I like him." Craig suddenly said.

"What?" Clyde said. "Like Tweek? Well, of course you do."

"No. I _like_ him. I'm into him."

"Ah," Clyde rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "Well, if it's about that, then... I know."

Craig looked at them, surprised. "What?"

"We both know," Token said. "I mean, it's not hard to tell. The way you look at him... It's obvious, man."

"You're not... weirded out?"

"Of course not!" Clyde slapped him on the shoulder. "I got to admit, it was weird at first, but you know, you're like our best friends, both of you are. So, it wasn't hard to accept it after I thought about that. Same with Token. We're cool with it, so you know, do what you want to."

"Oh... Well... Thanks," he smiled softly. It was good to know that his friends would be beside him and support him in such a way.

"So, I guess all that's left is to wait until he gets out of the hospital. Wait until summer is over. We'll be in university soon... It's part of the reason I was so upset when Tweek didn't come this year. I mean, it'd be our last year in Jamaica as high schoolers. It's a bit melancholic, huh?"

"A bit... We don't even know if we're going to the same universities. We'll still make time for each other, right? We'll be okay," Token said reassuringly. "Tweek will be okay by then, I'm sure of it."

"He wants to go," Craig frowned. "To university."

"And he will. He'll be okay, Craig. We promise," Token said.

"Yeah," he sighed, not truly believing it.


	15. Selfish Thinking

**hey all! sorry for the really short chapter but im swamped this week! i've got three exams! promise to write a long chapter next time! /goes back to studying/**

* * *

Two Weeks Later

Craig and Kenny sat across each other in the small cafe downtown. There was only one week left until school started again. Until they were all forced to leave each other and go off to study different things. It was "fucking depressing," Kenny sighed taking a sip of his iced coffee.

Craig only nodded. He hadn't seen Tweek since that day and he was beginning to become depressed himself. He'd tried, but every time he'd been caught and forced off the premises.

"Are you still thinking about Tweek?" Kenny asked, but he already knew the answer. He always did.

"Hm," Craig mumbled. He couldn't really help it. He wondered if Tweek had applied to university already. He hoped he was able to. He shook his head, trying to get off the subject. "How about you and Kyle?"

"What about us?"

"University."

"Ah," Kenny sighed again. "Well, Kyle's incredibly smart... I mean, he could have gone anywhere." He took another sip of his coffee, "you know I'd be happy for him whatever he chose. It would suck not being able to see him, but I'd be happy for him."

"I take it he's going far away?"

"Well, I'm gonna make sure I visit him at least once a week, but as for me, I'm gonna spend the year working. Hopefully I can make a good amount of cash, you know? I want to be someone that Kyle can rely on. We're going to make it all work out. It's just four years that we'll have to be like this. Then, maybe we'll both get good jobs and we can eventually live together."

"That sounds nice."

"Doesn't it?" Kenny grinned. "But, you know, I think you and Tweek are the same. You haven't told him yet, have you? That you're not going to go to university."

"No."

"I don't think he'll mind though. He's not like that. He'll probably be happy for you, that you already have a job waiting."

"Yeah, I know. Haven't exactly gotten a chance to talk to him though."

"Well I guess that's true enough," Kenny said. "But you know, he's supposed to be getting out soon. He and his parents agreed that it was just for the summer, to see if it would make a difference or an impact on him. Do you think it did? I mean, he seemed to really hate it, so I hope they won't make him go back."

"They wouldn't... His parents aren't like that," Craig said. He knew the Tweaks. They were good people. They just wanted the best for their son. Their methods may not have always been the best, but they were reasonable people. If they saw how much it hurt Tweek to be in that place, then he doubted they would put him back.

"One week left. You guys gonna celebrate or something?"

"Nah. He's not really into big parties or celebrations. I think what he'd like would just be... the four of us. Hanging out. Like usual. Act like nothing's changed."

"Except for you guys. You've changed, right? You and Tweek."

Craig couldn't help but smile softly. "We haven't changed. Just our relationship has."

Kenny chuckled, "Yeah." He stood up, "Well, I've got to get going. I'll see you around."

Craig nodded, "Mm."

.000.

It was autumn and it was cold, but they were together. They were together under the light of the street lamps, holding hands and even though it was cold, it felt so warm. It was a good dream, Tweek thought, when he awoke in the middle of the night to glance around the cold hospital room. He wished it was real.

He slowly sat up and checked the time, sighing. He did love Craig, and he didn't want to hurt him, but he worried. Worried that Craig would get annoyed with him or grow to hate him if they became even closer. He knew he was paranoid and he knew Craig wasn't like that, but the deep dark pit in the back of his mind released so many horrible thoughts into his head that he couldn't stop thinking about it. He wanted to leave South Park. There were far too many bad memories there.

Although, there were good memories too. Memories of watching anime with Clyde and Kenny, hanging out with everyone at the coffee shop, snowball fights and sleepovers, video game days and all day movie marathons... There were good memories, but sometimes the bad outweighed the good.

He wondered what would happen if he left South Park without a word. Just told his parents he wanted out, got up and ran away. He thought it would help him to feel better, to be free and start over, but he didn't want to miss everyone.

Maybe Craig would find him. Maybe he would run away and live somewhere small and wait for Craig to find him. With help, he could. Then he would be free, but he also wouldn't have to be alone. He thought that was a fantasy, but maybe it could work.

Maybe he was being selfish, maybe he was being unrealistic, but it was what he wanted.


	16. Away We Go

"T-today's the day," Tweek thought to himself as he watched yet another nurse pass by his door. They weren't going to come into his room; they had no need to. He was safe for the most part. Nobody would expect a thing.

It wasn't that he wanted to do this, but he wasn't left with much of a choice. His parents had been by that morning and they'd told him he was better off staying there until they could sort everything out. He'd begged them to let him leave; that he was better, but they knew he wasn't. He was just making up excuses. He just wanted his life back to normal.

It wasn't easy, though. He could think it as many times as he wanted, but that wouldn't change the fact that he was depressed. He was depressed and he was tired, but whenever he thought about really ending it all, Craig's face popped into his mind. It never used to appear when he thought about dying, but ever since they'd confessed to each other, whenever Tweek thought of dying, he imagined how Craig would feel. How it would affect him. He wanted do make Craig proud, do things that would make him happy, but the more he thought about it, the more he realized how impossible it was.

He laughed bitterly to himself, tugging at the strands of his hair. "I'm... so lame."

He glanced out the window again. It was still summer. Bright blue skies and lively birds singing on the telephone wires. Summer was always the happiest season, but it was the season that Tweek found most upsetting. Summer was a time for everyone to leave, and sure, they usually always came back, but not this time. Everyone was leaving for good.

He'd heard from Kenny that Stan, Kyle and Eric were going away to different universities and Token was leaving for Harvard. Clyde still wasn't sure what he was doing yet, but Tweek was sure he'd accept one of the universities he'd applied to.

He wondered if he'd been accepted to the ones he'd applied to. He hadn't been able to check his mail for quite the while and his parents weren't even home. He wanted to ask Kenny, but he also worried that Kenny would see that he hadn't been accepted and have to tell him that. He didn't want to hear it, not from Kenny.

Another nurse passed by and he stood up to shut his door. He wondered why they hadn't thought of this before, but his room overlooked a large hill. Theoretically, he could open the window and climb right out onto the hill. He wondered if it would cause a panic, but he didn't care. He was past caring.

He walked over to the small desk and took off his hospital coat, laying it down on the chair. He looked around momentarily before pulling the window open and pushed the screen out. He watched it fall to the ground below and quickly hopped out. He was still dressed in a hospital gown and he couldn't get far wearing just that, so earlier that day he called someone for help. Someone he thought he'd never talk to again.

He'd only met the man once in his life, and it was for a short time, but their views were so similar and he knew that the man would come through for him considering his circumstances.

They were to meet behind the convenience store next to the hospital. It was to be discreet and short, but there he would get new clothes, a bit of money and some other helpful items they'd agreed on.

The phone call that morning was short as well. Tweek was rarely allowed to use the telephone, so he'd snuck behind the nurse's desk when she's gone to the bathroom to make it. He knew the number by heart. It was virtually the only phone number he'd bothered to remember because he knew that one day he would need it. And he was right.

"H-hey, it's -ngh- me!"

"I feegured."

"You -ack- knew I'd call?"

"I knew you would one day. We are ze same, you and I."

"Ngh... C-can you help me?"

"Weez what?"

"I need to get out of this place. I need to run away."

"Leave eet to me."

That was it. They'd made plans to meet behind the convenience store at a certain time and now that that time was approaching, Tweek set out. Although it was sunny and warm, Tweek was shivering. He was sick, he knew, but he had to get out. He was suffocating in there.

"Oi." He heard a voice from within the shadows of the building.

He jumped, turning around to face none other than the one they had nicknamed The Mole. "So you are 'ere. Are you ready?"

Tweek just nodded. He noticed Christophe carrying a medium sized bag next to his regular smaller one. He pulled it off his shoulder and handed it to the blonde. "'Ere. Insside you weell find wat, euh, you need. Everyting iss zere."

"Th-thanks. I really appreciate it!"

Christophe only shrugged as if to say it was what he did. That there was no need for thanks. "Don't get caught."

Tweek nodded, "I won't."

And with that, The Mole sauntered back into the shadows and out of sight. Tweek quickly snuck into the back entrance of the convenience store and right into the bathroom to change. He left his hospital gown behind in the trash can and inspected the contents of the bag. Just, where was he going? He really hadn't a clue, but with Christophe's resources, he'd prepared a fake passport, IDs and other necessary items for travel.

Maybe he would go to Canada. It was close, but not enough to get caught. He just needed to be away for a year. A year was all it took. But by that time, he might not be welcome back. People would worry about him, but they had to realize that he needed to do this. His parents had to realize that they forced it on him. If he wasn't able to leave, what else would he do? He certainly couldn't stay there for another year.

He walked down the street with caution, jumping slightly or ducking when someone yelled. He was still shivering and he felt like vomiting. His face was clammy and pale and his head burned, but he kept moving forward. A little fever wasn't going to stop him now.

.000.

One Day Later

"Craig!"

He heard his name being called and looked around as he climbed in the car. He noticed Clyde running his way and rolled his window down so they could talk. "What?" He'd planned to drive down to see Tweek today and didn't want any distractions. He had to worry about getting in enough as it was.

"Dude, have you heard?" his eyes were wide and panicked.

Craig began to feel uneasy. "What...?"

"It's Tweek!" he yelled.

Craig's stomach dropped. What about Tweek?

"His mom called me. Said the hospital said he's gone missing! She's so fucking worried, man. He just up and disappeared! No one knows where he is!" Clyde yelled, frantically waving his hands in the air. "Apparently they found his hospital gown in the convenience store one building over. Man, it's safe it assume he's run away for good. What if he never comes back!?"

"No... that can't be," Craig said, mostly to himself. What happened? Weren't things going well? Why would Tweek think he needed to run away? "Fuck," he punched the steering wheel horn and it beeped loudly, making Clyde jump. "I'm going down."

"Alright, I'm going to wait by the phone to see if anything happens. I'll text you!" Clyde quickly said.

"Okay," Craig said, not really listening to him anyway. He quickly sped off down the road, cursing word after word.

"Tweek, you better be alright."


	17. The Hacker

Craig had been driving around for hours trying to find Tweek and it had gotten to the point that he was becoming scared. Tweek wasn't stable. There was no telling what he was doing at this point in time or where he was going.

_Clyde: Dode have you found him yet_

He'd received the text over a half hour ago, but had no energy to reply to it. He knew Clyde was probably worrying so he quickly typed in: _No. _

Clyde replied within seconds. _Shit dude that mole guy is here_

_What are you talking about?_

_Clyde: The mole! you know that weird mercenary like guy hes here now_

_Where are you?_

_Clyde: Im at the convenience store tweek was last seen at dude he knows something_

Craig couldn't make heads or tails of what was going on. He angrily turned the car around and sped back toward South Park. Hopefully Clyde had a lead of some sort. He didn't want to waste precious time.

When he arrived back, he drove toward the convenience store, parking quickly and rushing inside. Nobody was around except the shopkeeper so he grabbed his phone and called Clyde, frustrated. "Where the fuck are you? I'm here."

"I'm in the back, man. You'd better come quick." With that, Clyde hung up, but Craig didn't care. He sped up to the back of the shop and pushed open the back door, looking around until he'd located the brunette waving his hands. "Over here!" he gestured to another man with crossed arms and an irritated expression.

"Shut up! You are too loud!"

Craig sauntered over. He didn't want to deal with whatever this was going to bring about, but it could have been important. It could have been related to Tweek and if it was he had no choice but to listen.

"Craig?" the man asked. "I am Christophe."

"The Mole! Don't you remember, back in elementary?" Clyde was beginning to look excited and Craig wondered if he'd completely forgotten the situation they were currently in.

"I'm Craig," he said. He vaguely remembered someone by the name of The Mole back in elementary school, but it was Stan and Kyle going on about it and he preferred to not get involved with them.

"I 'ave a message for you." He rummaged through his bag until he pulled out a small piece of paper. Craig noticed a coffee ring stain on the outside and his heart began pumping faster. He quickly held out his hand as Christophe passed the letter to him. "Zat ees all. I weell be off now." Before Craig could say another word, the man was gone.

"What does it say?" Clyde anxiously asked.

Craig unfolded the letter carefully as to not damage a single word. Before reading it he took a breath, hoping to all gods that what he was about to read was not a suicide note. He looked down.

_Dear Craig,_

_I always seemed more calm on paper. Probably because I can't convey my feelings as well and you don't have to constantly hear my spazzing. I am sorry about that. I don't know whether it bugged you or not... I know you said you loved me and I know I told you I felt similar, but I know we'll both be better off this way. You can forget about me now. I'm safe. I'm not dead. I'm still fighting, so please forget about me and move on. I'd only bring you down and I think that for once in your life, you should be happy. Be happy about yourself and don't come after me. Don't try to find me. You'll only get hurt._

_I'm okay._

_Love,_

_Tweek_

"Fucking fuck," Craig clenched his teeth, nearly ripping the paper. He was furious. For once in his life, he was god damn furious. Tweek didn't get to choose what he could think. It wasn't easy to forget about someone and he was sure Tweek knew that as well. "If you wanted me to forget..." he clenched his fists, "Why would you sign it with _love._"

"What are you talking about?" Clyde frowned, unable to get a good look at the letter.

"This fucker..." Craig hissed, grabbing Clyde's arm and leaving the back of the store. "We're going to Broflovski's."

"Kyle's house? What for?" Clyde tried to keep up with Craig's pace but he was going rather fast. Craig didn't want to admit it, but if someone could find one person in this world out of 7 billion, it would be Kyle. He'd always noticed the redhead hacking into one program or another while they were in computer class. He never thought anything of it until today.

"I need a fucking favour," he mumbled.

.000.

"Wait, you want me to do what?" Kyle was sitting at his computer when Craig and Clyde had entered his room unannounced. At first he had jumped out of his chair, screaming at them such things like "I could have been changing! What if I was asleep!" But since Kenny was seated rather close to him, Craig doubted those things were the last ones on his mind when they'd barged in.

Kenny just chuckled. "I knew it would come to this. Listen, I think when he wrote this letter and told you to not follow or look for him, what he really meant by that was "Please find me.""

"How do you know?" Clyde had asked.

"But the way he signed the letter," Kenny said. "If you want someone to forget about you- like, r_eally_ want them to forget you, you don't sign your name after _love._ You'll want to sever all attachment, right? So, he should have written _from _or _by._ I don't know, that's just what I'm thinking. What about you, sweet ass?"

Kyle flushed red and punched Kenny in the arm, "Shut up!"

"Will you do it?" Craig had asked.

"I... well, I guess. But let me make one thing clear! Finding one person in a sea of 7 billion is no easy feat, okay? It'll take time and effort. A lot of time and effort! And I might have to go places the police doesn't want me, but..." he sighed, "Well, I guess it's what I do, isn't it?"

"That's my boy," Kenny grinned.

"Kenny, shut up," Kyle repeated, shoving a hand in the blonde's laughing face. "Look, Craig, I know you're not very fond of asking people for help, so I realize what Tweek must mean to you. I know you might get embarrassed or flustered thinking about what I'm about to say, but I get it, okay? Because I understand Tweek's feelings too, I'll help you out."

Craig didn't really know what to say. Kyle wasn't so bad after all. "Thanks."

Kyle smiled, "Yeah, no problem. It might take a while, though. I mean, I'm going to have to dig deep, so I'll give you a ring when I've got something. That sound okay?"

Craig just nodded, frustrated at the fact he couldn't just run out and find the boy, but he understood some things took time. "I'll wait for your call."

Kyle nodded, "Good."


	18. I've Found You

Kyle groggily reached for the phone. "Fuck, I'm tired."

"You done?" Kenny yawned. Kyle told him he didn't have to stick around, but Kenny said it was fine and that he wanted to spend more time with the redhead during the summertime.

"Yeah, sorry, did I wake you?"

"Nah, I've been awake for a while," he glanced at the clock. After Craig had left, Kyle got straight to work, but he'd gotten distracted somewhere along the line and through eating dinner, showering, taking a short nap and playing piano with Ike, he'd just managed to finish the task.

"Shit," Kyle rubbed his eyes, "I should have done this better. Craig is probably waiting for me to call him and I made him wait pretty long."

"Like a whole fucking day," Kenny laughed.

"You seem really chill about all this," Kyle raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you worried?"

"Nah, I just have a feeling things are gonna work out the way everyone wants them to," he replied. "Just have a little faith. If it's concerning Tweek, Craig will probably do anything he can."

"I guess it's nice, though, to love a person that much."

"Are you saying you don't love me that much?" Kenny pouted jokingly.

"Pft, shut up," Kyle chuckled. "You know very well how I feel about you."

"I know, I know," Kenny smiled. "Go on, call him."

Kyle quickly scanned for Craig in his contacts and quickly shot him a text.

_I've found him._

.000.

"Fuck," Craig rolled out of his bed. It was nine in the morning. "It's about time." He quickly texted back: _Tell me the details _as he rushed down the stairs, flipping his family off on his way outside. Kyle sent back a long message detailing the exact place Tweek was located including where he was last seen, which happened to be a Harbucks. Craig couldn't help but smile at that. At least Tweek's habit of stopping for coffee every hour or so hadn't changed.

He wasn't quite sure where Tweek was staying. Or, it was more that he'd never heard of the place. Of course, he hadn't gotten far though. It had only been two days since he ran off and if most of his rides were buses like Craig figured they were, he was sure he could reach the blonde soon enough.

He was staying at a small motel in a small town called Sherwoode. Craig programmed the place into his GPS and quickly set off to find someone who seemingly didn't want to be found.

That was wrong, though. If Tweek really was sending him some secret message like Kenny thought he was, then this was the right choice to make. It was almost funny, Craig thought to himself, how weird this summer had become. If it had gone like any other summer had, he would be hanging out at the park with Token, Clyde and Tweek and they would be talking about something stupid or funny and Craig would act apathetic or indifferent, but everyone knew he would really be having a good time. It was just how he was. But he was accepted. He accepted others. He wished Tweek felt the same, but there was just no convincing that boy. No matter how many times Craig wanted to say "You're important, You're loved, I care about you" to him, he wondered if he'd get it at all or if those words would go in one ear and straight out the other.

It was a sad thought that Tweek didn't think he could be capable of love or that he didn't know what it felt like. Craig wanted to show him, but to do that, he needed to be with him.

Really, it was ridiculous how stubborn Tweek really was. He was stubborn and jittery and nearly always frantic, but he could probably beat Craig in a fight any day. It was one of the things Craig was content with knowing; that he wouldn't ever have to save him from a robber or a bandit. Of course he always thought being a knight in shining armour was fucking lame, but if it was for Tweek, he'd do it. Dress up in the whole getup and everything.

He laughed to himself realizing how stupid he'd look. _Fuck,_ he thought, _did I just laugh..._ _I shouldn't be laughing in this situation. What if something has happened... Urgh, fuck. Just fuck._

He sped up until he was about twenty past the speed limit. He didn't even have his licence, but he didn't really _care. _

Hours passed as he drove through places he didn't even know existed. Mostly crappy, poor places with prostitutes and drug dealers roaming the streets in broad daylight. He sincerely hoped Tweek wasn't in a place like that.

When it had begun to get dark, he parked in the safety of some forestry and slept for the night. It was when he woke up and checked his GPS that he realized he was only about an hour away from the location Tweek was apparently at.

Craig turned on the car again and chucked the GPS into the back. He knew where he had to go now. He sped out of the area he'd parked in and quickly drove down the street. The area wasn't very nice. The trees were a dull green, the streets were littered with trash and the motel signs were missing letters, but Craig tried not to think about that. He tried not to think about what a shitty place Tweek was in and tried to focus on just getting him back. If anything, he deserved to be able to turn around and not have to face a possible murderer or drug dealer and if it was the latter, Craig worried he might just take a deal. After all, he wasn't stable.

He turned into a parking lot of a small inn. It wasn't nearly as shitty looking as all the others, but it still wasn't very nice. Craig just hoped he was inside. He hoped he would open the door and Tweek would be standing there with a coffee like he usually was. He just wanted to be greeted with a smile from the person he loved.

He parked the car and sped up the stairs to find the number of Tweek's room. When he'd located it, he stood in front of it for nearly ten minutes just contemplating what to do if Tweek did answer. _Like, fuck, what should I say? _He rubbed his head and just decided to go with it.

Three knocks and then he took a step back and waited. He heard a familiar _Gah! _from inside and already he relaxed. It was Tweek. He was actually inside this room. He was going to be found.

When the jittery blonde had pulled the door open, Craig didn't even give him time to react. He leapt forward and pulled him into an embrace. "You stubborn little fucker," he whispered.

Tweek didn't say anything. Craig wondered what he was thinking.

"I finally found you."


	19. You're okay, kid

**Quick update! But I was eager to finish hehe. I really like how this ended lol. I hope you guys do too.**

* * *

Craig was holding him and Tweek was crying. They were still standing in the doorway of the motel room and it had been nearly ten minutes since the doors were opened. Tweek was trying to form a coherent sentence but Craig couldn't understand it through the sobbing and the spasms. He rubbed the blonde's back in attempt to calm him down. When he had finally done so, nearly another ten minutes had passed. Yes, he was still angry, but he had decided to put that aside for now.

He led the boy back inside the room and shut the door. He didn't want people to start coming out to watch them. Once Tweek was seated on the old bed in his room, he let out a sigh. He had a feeling Craig was going to come for him, but that really was what a part of him wanted. He knew he wrote the letter telling Craig to leave him be, but it was a lie. Truthfully, he wanted Craig to come after him. He wanted to feel like he was worth the effort, even if it meant putting Craig through additional amount of just that. If Craig really did care about him, he would come for him. But, that didn't mean he would go back. No, that was something he would be stubborn about.

After he had told Craig all this, the onyx haired teen had just sighed. "Not that I support the shit your parents are putting you through, but," he rubbed his head. "You can't run."

"It's just for -ngh- a year! When I'm eighteen I can sign myself out!"

Craig crossed his arms, "You know it's not as easy as you're making it seem. Come back. Everyone's worried."

Tweek fidgeted with the buttons on his shirt. He was worried too. He didn't want to go back to that hospital, but no matter how many times he'd talked to his parents, they wouldn't let him out. He knew it was partially his fault for hurting himself in ways such as how he did, but even if he couldn't convince his parents of that, he was okay. He didn't want to die, he didn't want to hurt himself. Sometimes he just couldn't help it, but ever since Craig had confessed to him, he felt like there was something to live for. Somebody loved him. Somebody cared so deeply for him that they would go this far out of their way just to find him and make sure he was okay. He didn't want to disappoint that sort of person. So, no matter how much it hurt sometimes, no matter how confused he got, he knew he could call Craig and he would always answer.

"It's just one year. Think of what you can do when you get out. If you stay running, you won't be able to go to university like you wanted. Right?"

"B-but what if it becomes too much?" he looked down.

"Then, call me. I'm right here, okay?" he took Tweek's hand. "I know. I don't show it. I hardly show how I feel, but I am here. If you're feeling down, call me. I'll come right over."

"You can't visit me... You were banned, remember?"

"Fuck that shit. I'll come in through the window if I have to."

Tweek let out a small laugh at that. What a sight that would be to behold. Craig Tucker climbing through the window to his hospital room in the night. "What if I call you too much? What if you get annoyed? What if you start to -gah!- hate me?"

Craig shook his head, "Tweek, I don't fucking care if you call me at 9 at night or 3 in the morning. If it's you, I'll always answer."

"Really?"

"Yeah," he gave Tweek's hand a tight squeeze. "I'm here for you."

How uncharacteristically he was acting, Tweek thought. It just showed him how much Craig cared. It was almost enough to bring more tears to the blonde's eyes, but he was done crying. He was okay. He raised an eyebrow, "What have you done with Craig?"

Craig rolled his eyes, "Shut up."

Tweek laughed again. With Craig around, he really was truly happy and with that in mind, maybe he could stick out one more year. He wanted to go to university. He wanted to spend summers with Token, Clyde and Craig. He wanted to have more anime marathons with Kenny and most importantly, he wanted to spend mornings and nights with Craig just doing the silly shit they always did. Just being together. If one year of hell was what he had to endure to be able to feel that freedom, maybe he could do it. No matter how much he despised the thought of going back, he missed his parents. He missed his friends. He underestimated how terrible life on the run really was. Maybe Christophe knew that. Maybe that's why he'd told Tweek to write Craig a letter. He'd known all along that he wasn't cut out for this and in a way, Christophe had saved him. He figured he'd have to thank the man for that.

"So?" Craig simply said.

"So?" Tweek repeated.

"You coming back or what?" Craig stood up, pulling Tweek up with him.

The shorter male hesitated a moment before answering. He didn't want to be needy or clingy, but he felt like to survive this year he might just have to be. "I can call you?"

"Fuck yes," Craig said. "Whenever."

Tweek looked around the dingy motel room and cringed. It was hard to believe he was staying in such a place. It horrified him to think of all the germs that were currently around him. When he got back home he'd definitely need to shower.

_When he got back home._ He was thinking about it. He considered it, and Kenny once told him that if he ever even took something into consideration that maybe it was what he really wanted.

He looked at Craig and nodded, but Craig could see the worry still present in his eyes. He gave his hands another squeeze and said, "I got you. Don't worry."

It had only taken them mere moments to leave the shitty motel, but once they were back in Craig's car, Tweek started freaking out. "What if my parents hate me? What if everyone yells at me? They could force me to stay even longer! Oh my god, what if I contracted a disease by sitting on that bed! Someone probably had unprotected sex on there!"

"Tweek, shut up, spazz," Craig sighed. "You're fine. You're not sick, okay?"

Tweek froze momentarily, but then turned to look at Craig. He wasn't sick?

As if noticing what he was thinking, Craig spoke up again. "You're not. You were just confused and yeah, maybe you were depressed, but for wanting to get better... I don't think that makes you sick."

Tweek didn't think Craig knew what he was talking about, but it made him feel better to hear it. He looked down and smiled to himself, "Yeah.. maybe."

And so, they drove off. Back to South Park, back to Tweek's family, who greeted him with tears and hugs and a warm cup of shitty coffee. Craig waited by the door and let Tweek feel the joy his parents showed him upon being able to hold him again. They apologized, which Craig thought was a good move. It wasn't their fault, but he thought maybe that was what Tweek needed to hear.

And then they drove again. Back to the hospital where he was taken back to that small room he'd hated so much. Where he wore that same uniform again and where he waited.

Every night after that, he waited.

It took him effort and time, but Craig kept his promise. Every night he would drive down to the hospital and sneak up that big hill, knocking twice on the window where Tweek would rush over and smile so brightly as he opened it up. And there, they would talk. Sometimes it was only for a short period, but sometimes it was for hours on end and Craig never ever missed a visit. Sometimes he even brought Clyde and Token and they would play silly games of cards or talk about the latest movie that had come out. They would tell Tweek that when he was out, they would all watch it together.

And sometimes Kenny would visit. They would exchange meaningful conversation and sometimes they would talk about how Sasuke should return to Konoha or how Saru was obviously in love with Misaki. Sometimes they would laugh so loudly that Tweek would have to pretend to be asleep when a nurse came into to check on him.

But for that whole year, he had to admit, it hadn't been so bad and it was entirely thanks to Craig. Craig, without even fully realizing it, had given his life back to him. Something Tweek thought wasn't even possibly had been done for him right before his very eyes and he could never thank Craig enough, but he knew. Craig always knew.

Tweek regretted the years he'd spent suffering but whenever he thought about it, he smiled because all the suffering he'd gone through, all the pain and scars he had was part of what made him who he was today. He was strong. He was okay and he was going to be okay for a long time.


End file.
